Terra: A Teen Titans OVA
by coltfan817
Summary: A first person OVA written entirely from Terra's perspective chronicling her rise, fall, and rebirth as a Teen Titan.
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

PROLOGUE

My name is Terra, and I have done terrible things. Since birth, I have been gifted with a power: the ability to move the earth. When I was young, I use to think my power was the coolest thing ever. I could do things other kids could never even dream of. I could shoot giant rocks, I could make the ground shake, I could even fly around on a giant boulder! I dreamed of becoming a superhero one day, someone who could stop all the bad guys and get cheered on by a giant crowd of endearing fans.

But as I grew older, I began to understand that my powers weren't a gift; they were a curse. Time and again natural disasters followed me around. Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Even volcanic eruptions. All because of my power I never seemed capable of controlling. I tried to teach myself to control my abilities as best as I could. I spent hours every day training and honing my skills, only for more disasters to seemingly come out of nowhere. Sometimes I didn't even feel myself using my power, but tragedy struck anyway. Buildings crumbled, farms were destroyed, and civilizations themselves seemed to quake on their own.

It all culminated one fateful day. I was with my best friend, carelessly swinging on a swing set and gossiping about school, friends, and boys. We always giggled so much back then, and I remembered feeling like I could actually talk to her about anything without feeling judged. I had told her several times about how my power made me feel scared, and she always told me that one day I would learn to control them, and I'd become the most famous super hero of all time. We would spend afternoons inventing cool superhero names, drawing make-shift costumes, and playing hero and villain (she made me take turns as the villain sometimes so she could feel like a hero too). That afternoon was no different than any other.

Until it happened. Seemingly out of the blue, the earth began to shake violently in short spurts, almost as if someone had a massive drill that was just beneath the surface. She looked at me and told me it was okay, continually trying to comfort me to help me regain control. I told her it wasn't me and it was coming from somewhere else. She reassured me again and told me I didn't have to lie to her. Intending to regain control, I concentrated every bit of focus I had on the ground to try to keep it from shaking. For a time, it actually worked! The ground stopped shaking and the world was still once more.

It wasn't meant to last though. As soon as I relaxed and released my concentration, a giant rock spear shot out of the ground, rocketing my friend into the air, sending her back to earth with a loud thud. I rushed to her side only to find her with numerous broken bones, completely unable to move. That day changed everything. Her parents, knowing of my power, blamed my lack of control for the incident and cast me out as a freak. As I heard the news that my friend would never be able to walk again, I fled in panic, unable to face the cruel reality I had caused. To this day, I still swear I saw a man, wearing a half flesh-colored, half black mask peering at me from a ledge as I ran out of town. Perhaps he was just a figment of my imagination, but he seemed so real…

In the three years since then I've been a wandering nomad of sorts. I've gone from place to place, trying to help while also trying to gain control of my powers. Still, the disasters come. I can't seem to understand why. Is it really possible to cause a disaster without even realizing it? The answers never came easy. To make matters worse, I couldn't help but feel like all the while I was being watched.

I saw some real cool places on the road. I learned where to get the best apple pie, see some of the coolest rock formations, and even lie underneath a curtain of stars. I met several cool people on my journey as well, but I made sure never to linger too long. I couldn't get too close, or else they might get hurt. I couldn't lose another friend. Besides, there were places to go and things to see!

CHAPTER 1- TITAN RISING

On my travels, I occasionally found time to unwind a bit and try to relax and forget about the open road for a while. One of my favorite places to do this was a small hole in the wall diner just outside of Jump City. The diner was old school, with a soda bar that felt very 50s-esque. But what caught my attention that night was the news show they had running on the television. It seemed the city had recently been attacked by a villain named Cinderblock, who was seeking to detonate bombs all over the city. The villain had been stopped though, by a group known as the Teen Titans.

Several bytes of the battle were shown, and I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. These heroes were everything I wanted my idols to be. They executed flawless teamwork and had costumes that made them look super cool while doing it. One of them rode a motorcycle while another was half robot. Two others had powers not too different than mine that helped them fly, and one of them was green! The green one held my interest the most. He had an awesome power where he could shapeshift into any animal he wanted, and always made stupid jokes I couldn't help but giggle at.

These heroes would become my motivation as I decided to give becoming a hero myself another try. I ventured out into the desert in hopes of finding someone to save so I could prove my credibility. I eventually found exactly that, as it appeared a villager from a nearby town was being attacked by a giant sand monster. I instructed the villager to retreat to a safe distance as I swooped in and beat the monster with my rocks. It felt great to beat it this easily! My skills were improving, and I felt in control most of the time.

As I finished off the monster, I saw someone drop down from a nearby ledge and start approaching me. "You've got some impressive moves there! Who are you?"

I stood in a daze, unable to process what I was seeing. In front of me, five familiar figures appeared one by one, each of their attention focused on me. As I glanced at each of them, I was surprised at how welcoming their faces looked. Or at least, most of them did. One of them seemed to keep to herself more, with a vacant, emotionless expression on her face almost as if she didn't really care who I was. I don't know why, but it really gave me the wrong impression.

"Name's Terra. Mover of Earth and wilderness survival expert." I don't know why I added the titles at the end, but I felt like I had to make myself sound more important in the face of these famous heroes.

"Nice to meet you Terra," said the one with the mask, seemingly amused at the way I introduced myself. "I was very impressed with the way you dealt with that sand monster. You've got some real talent there!" The masked one looked glanced at his partners. "I suppose we should introduce ourselves as well. We're…"

"The Teen Titans!" I couldn't contain my excitement anymore. I had seen them on tv many times, but I had never thought I would get to meet them in person. I fist-bumped all five of them (although the hooded one seemed reluctant and confused). "Rock on! So that must make you Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and…"

"Beet Boy!" interjected the green one. "Err… Bath Boob! Ehh…" He trailed off, seemingly unable to piece together what he was trying to say.

I couldn't help but giggle, a lot like I use to long ago with my friend. His nervousness was strangely comical to me. "Nice to meet you too Beast Boy." With my mention of his name he seemed to drift off into even more of daze that I'm not sure he would've woken up from if he was hit by a freight train.

The Titans proceeded to ask me twenty questions about my background, interests, favorite color, you name it. I never really like talking about myself much so I tried to redirect the conversation to the missions they had gone on. As they were carrying on, I wandered off a bit, taking in the desert scenery. Most of them didn't seem to notice and continued reminiscing about their experiences together, but after a while one of them noticed me and slipped off to stand with me. I glanced at him, then looked back at the desert scenery. The same landscape I had been running in all these years.

"It's beautiful," Beast Boy observed. I looked back at him, somewhat surprised by his tone. "So… What brings such a cool chicky out to such a groovy place?"

Ugh. Was he trying to be cool? It seemed like maybe he really was just an awkward goofball after all. Somehow though, I found myself inexplicably flustered. "Uhh… you know…" Why was I feeling nervous like this? "Places to go things to see."

"Oh so you're a wanderer then?" he asked. "I bet you've seen some really cool places then!"

"You could say that," I replied. I definitely had. I had seen places where the sky seemed to touch the ground, amazing sunrises and sunsets, and high mountains. But it was impossible to try and explain that to someone in a way that did them justice. "I've never seen anything like what you have in the city though."

"Oh glorious! You must come and see our home!" shouted the alien one. Beast Boy looked back at her, slightly annoyed as he wasn't aware she had been listening to our conversation.

At the mention of the tower though, Beast Boy's expression changed to one of excitement. "That's a great idea Star! We should take her back to the tower and give her a tour!"

The masked one seemed to be thinking it over. After a few moments thought, he turned to me. "Well, it's not something we usually do, but you seem like you could use a safe place to crash for the night. How about we show you around so you can really see what we do?"

Before I could even respond, Beast Boy grabbed me by the hand and started pulling me off. "Oh this'll be great! We can show you the training course, and the giant tv, and the kitchen, and…" He kept on talking about all the things they were going to show me. I couldn't help but smile as he seemed so eager to give me a taste for a day in the life of a hero. As he did though, I couldn't help but feel like we were being watched. Or more specifically, like I was being watched…

It had been so long since I had had a place to crash. I jumped in the shower and quickly found myself standing in a deep pool of mud. The entire bathroom was covered in a layer of mud in my wake. I hadn't felt that dirty, but I guess all that time sleeping in caves and camping out really added up over time. That wasn't all either! I had a massive pile of laundry to do since none of my stuff had been cleaned in months. I felt a little bad making myself that much at home here, but it really felt good to unwind a bit. For most people, a couch would've been a terrible place to sleep, but for me it felt like sleeping on a cloud.

Before I had gone to sleep for the evening though, I had overheard Robin and Cyborg talking. Cyborg had gone into the kitchen, and I heard him rummaging through the fridge muttering something about a leftover sandwich when Robin walked in. "If you're looking for the sandwich, you left it on the table by the tv." He pointed to the table right next to the couch I was pretending to be asleep on.

"Well whattaya know! Hey thanks buddy, I've been looking for that all night!" The noises that followed in the kitchen seemed to resemble that of a garbage disposal. Safe to say that sandwich had met its maker.

"So is the training course ready?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, aside from a tweak or two I think the upgrades are all set. Why, what's on your mind?"

Robin hesitated for a moment before answering in a slightly hushed voice. "I want to see what Terra can do. I've talked with the team and there's been talk about having her join our team. I just want to put her skills to the test first."

"Worry not my man, the course I designed is top notch! We'll see what the girl can do."

"Excellent. Well, I'm calling it a night, I'll see you in the morning then Cy." I waited until both of them had gone out of the room and turned off the lights before letting myself slowly drift off to sleep.

All night I had the same nightmare about being chased around the desert by a masked figure. A figure with a half flesh colored, half black mask. He continued taunting me about my lack of control. "They'll never understand you Terra. As soon as they know about your lack of control, they will shun you just like everyone else." No matter how fast I ran, the figure continued to grow closer until I was staring directly into his mask, painstakingly aware of every haunting detail.

I awoke with a jolt. I looked out the window and saw that the sun had begun to rise. Just a dream. Since there was no going back to sleep now, I decided to take a stroll around the island outside to calm myself down. As I walked outside, I felt the cool morning breeze off the sea blowing through my hair. Even the city was so quiet and peaceful early in the morning. I grabbed a rock and started skipping it across the surface of the water. What would they think when they saw I couldn't control my power? Would they shun me just like everyone had back home?

As I was skipping a rock, another one appeared next to it. Only it didn't skip, it just made a loud splash and sunk to the bottom of the sea. I glanced out of the side of my eye in the direction of where the rock was thrown and saw I was no longer alone.

"Ahh, well I never was too good at skipping rocks." Beast Boy threw another and once again it sunk causing me to giggle. "Hey, it's not as easy as it looks! We can't all be professional rock skippers."

"That's because you're just throwing the rock straight up." I made a sideways gesture with my arm, demonstrating slowly how I threw them. "Try throwing them more sideways so they glance off the surface of the water. Like this." As I threw it, the rock skipped perfectly across what seemed to be the entire bay between the tower and the city.

"Alright, here goes nothing then!" As he threw it, I used my powers while he was watching the rock and unable to see me do it. The rock skipped nimbly off the water's surface as far as the eye could see. "Yes, I did it! Who's the best? Go Beast Boy, go Beast Boy!"

He cheered on and on and I couldn't help but laugh as he did. Eventually he seemed to grow tired and sat himself down on a rock next to me. As he did, I felt a weird pulse flow through me as I finished laughing, causing the rock he was sitting on to flip over. Beast Boy fell into the shallows of the nearby water and got up soaking wet with a look of bewilderment on his face.

"I'm sorry! This is totally my fault, I should've…"

"Terra, it's okay." He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder to try to reassure me. "So you can't totally control your power. No big deal."

Fear and panic flooded through me at the mention of those words. I remembered everything that had happened with the disaster back home. All the people who had been hurt, including my best friend…

"Promise you won't tell anyone!"

"Okay I won't."

"I mean it! You can't say a word about any of this to anyone!"

"Okay! Okay!" He held his hands between us in an attempt to calm me down. "I promise. But you know it's not that big of a deal. Even if my friends knew about this, they would still like you."

"You don't understand…" How could he? He wasn't there. He didn't see the damage my powers had caused. He had no idea what it was like to not be able to control them. The fear I felt, causing me to always want to run away.

But then he said something I didn't expect. "You know, sometimes when I transform into larger, fiercer animals, I worry I might never transform back. You feel so strong, so powerful, so invincible, that you don't want to give it up. The animal nature takes a hold of you, and you wonder if your human side will ever be able to regain control. Powers are a great gift, but they can also be a curse sometimes as well. That's something I feel like a lot of people may never realize, seeing us with all the fame and the glory. Sometimes you almost just wish to be a normal guy with simpler problems."

So he did understand. I never had met anyone who seemed to realize what a curse powers could be before. Maybe I wasn't alone after all. I rested my head on his shoulder and watched the sun rise the rest of the way above the horizon. It really was peaceful here…

I quickly steered my rock to the left as a missile went whizzing past my head. Meanwhile, what seemed like a dozen robots came at me from every direction. I frantically pelted them with small rocks to avoid getting hit. My mind had to process things at an extraordinarily fast rate just to keep up with what was going on around me.

"Go Terra!" I heard Beast Boy cheer. "You da man! Err…. Way to go!"

No time to worry about his cheers right now. I was nearing the obstacle portion of the course. I attempted to dodge the barricades, but felt myself start to lose control of the rock I was flying around with my power. Given my lack of options, I ended up steering my rock straight into the barricades and focusing my energy on splitting them apart. As I plowed through the barricades, I felt myself suddenly reach a platform. Somehow, some way I had made it through the course.

Robin glanced down at his stopwatch. "And that's a new course record! Way to go Terra."

"Glorious friend Terra!" Starfire echoed in praise.

"Way to go Terra." Best Boy seemed calmer, almost as if he had expected me to make it through the course. Without thinking, I ran up to him and hugged him.

"You said I could do it and you were right! Thank you!" Rather than say anything audible, he turned the color of a radish and mumbled several incoherent phrases. Boys are weird.

I looked over at Cyborg, wanting to see his reaction to beating his record on the course he built. When I looked at him, I noticed he seemed distracted, staring in shock at the course. As I turned toward where I had just gone through, I began to understand why. It looked like a hurricane had blasted through it. The barricades were all smashed, the missile turrets were destroyed, and even some of the boundary was demolished. I suddenly felt rather ashamed. "Oh… Umm… sorry about that." That was all I could manage as I scratched my head.

Cyborg seemed stuck in the same state of shock, almost as if his machine half had short circuited. "Don't mind him, he's always like this about any of the technology he builds," Robin reassured me. "A little rough around the edges, but with some more training, I really think you could learn to…"

"Oh you did so magnificent!" The alien shrieked. "Come, let us celebrate with the game of video and the food of junk!" As she said that, I felt my limbs go stiff as she grabbed my hand and started to drag me toward the tower. As I glanced back with a helpless look on my face, I saw amused looks on the other Titans, even Raven, albeit to a lesser extent…

"I thought I might find you out here." Beast Boy walked over to me as I was skipping rocks again that evening. He picked up a rock and I was surprised to see him skip it across the bay, this time without my help. It seemed for him the thing he lacked most was confidence in himself. Once he had that, he was capable of things he'd never thought he could do.

"Skipping rocks helps set my mind at ease," I answered. I tossed another pebble, watching it as it rhythmically skipped across the water. I kept my eye fixed on it until it stopped skipping and sank into the water. "I saw what I did to the course Beast Boy." I sighed. "I still haven't learned how to control my powers."

Beast boy did not immediately respond this time like he usually did. It seemed that he was thinking a bit more deeply, which was out of character for him. "It takes a while and a lot of practice to get full control. Don't worry, with our help, you'll get there!"

I didn't face him, but kept staring out at the water. After a while I threw another pebble. I hoped he was right.

Beast Boy followed my gaze out over the water. "I meant to ask you…" he began as he tossed another pebble. "Why do you care so much about being in control? Why is it so important to you that others don't know that you're still learning how to control your powers?"

Could I even answer that question myself? Why was I always so worried about being in control? Then I remembered. All the horrible disasters that followed me around. All the people who got hurt, so many of them very close to me. Despite all of this tragedy, there was seemingly nothing I could do about it.

"I guess… more than anything I don't like feeling like I need to ask for help from others," I answered eventually. Did I really just give him an honest answer? I JUST met this guy a couple of days ago. Inexplicably, I continued on. "That's why I've always wanted to feel like I'm in control, so I don't even need to ask for help. So I don't have to see the looks of pity on people's faces." A flashback tried to surface itself, but through sheer force of will I repressed it in my memory where it belongs.

Beast Boy looked at the waves crashing on the nearby shore. For a while, things remained silent. This was somewhat surprising to me as in the short time I had known him I had never once heard Beast Boy stop talking. "…you know, you don't have to feel that way," he finally said. "We're your friends Terra. We're not just here to feel pity for you, we're here to help you. In any way we can."

I looked at him incredulously. "I'm your friend?"

"Of course!" Beast Boy gave a look of disbelief in the most innocent way possible.

I stood up and lowered my head toward the ground beneath me. The same ground I could move so effortlessly. "I thought you wouldn't want a friend like me. A friend who can't control her own abilities. A friend as dangerous as me."

Beast Boy shook his head. "You're not dangerous Terra. And we'll always be your friends. No matter what." He stood now too and reached into his pocket. When he pulled his hand out, I saw he had a silver-colored hair clip in the shape of a butterfly. "I saw this and thought of you since your long hair always falls over your eyes." He reached over to me and pulled my blonde hair back with the clip, fastening it on my left side. "Now when you're wearing this you can remember you don't have to feel like you need to hide anymore."

"Beast Boy! This is…" I stumbled, unable to find the right words. Instead I met his gaze, and slowly felt myself leaning in towards him. I saw him turn a bit red and start to lean in too. Without even realizing it, I felt myself start to close my eyes…

Suddenly, a siren started coming from the tower. Both of us shot upright, startled by the sudden appearance of the sound. Robin came zooming towards us out of the corner of my eye. "Beast Boy! We got trouble. Slade has been spotted beneath Jump City. We have to go!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Beast Boy got up and started heading after him. After a few steps though, he turned back and saw me standing there awkwardly. He smiled at me and put his hands on his hips. "Well, are you coming or not?"

I felt absolutely ecstatic as I ran after him. I was going to get to join the Teen Titans on a mission!

…

The struggle continued as we chased Slade around the underground. Slade had just fought a lengthy one on one skirmish with Robin and seemed to be tiring. Maybe it was just my imagination, but it seemed like to me Robin and Slade sought each other out, almost as if the vendetta between the two of them went much deeper than it did for anyone else.

Slade eventually slipped out of our sight. It was dark down here, and with so many passageways he could be anywhere. Robin had us split up and search the tunnels for him. A few minutes into my search, I saw a figure go running by in the blink of an eye along the tunnel crossing mine. Slade!

As I chased after him, I could've sworn I heard someone turn around and start following behind me. From the canine pants I heard, I gauged that Beast Boy had decided to follow me from a distance, perhaps sticking around as back up, but being nearby nonetheless just in case. As I ran after Slade, our pursuits eventually led us to a dead end. With nowhere to run, Slade was a sitting duck. Perfect!

"I've got you now Slade!" I boldly declared as he stood with his back turned to me, staring at the dead end.

At hearing that comment, he turned and faced me, and suddenly I stood frozen in fear. "Actually Terra, it's me who's got you." He pushed a button with his finger, setting off an explosive behind me that send a wall of rocks cascading down, separating me from Beast Boy. I was now all alone with Slade….

That face… There was no question. That was the same half flesh-colored half black mask that I had seen lurking in the darkest parts of the desert. For reasons I wasn't sure of, Slade had been following me.

As the smoke began to clear, I saw Slade rise to his feet, staring at me menacingly. He began to move forward, walking ever closer to me. "Well now Terra, I'm sure you've figured it out now. Yes, I've been watching you. And I must say I am very impressed with the power you possess."

"Back off Slade!" I warned as I set my hands aglow, preparing to make my strike. "I'm with the Titans! We're going to take you down!"

Slade cocked his head slightly to the side, reminiscent of a confused bird. "Really, so YOU'RE a Teen Titan? That's funny, because you don't seem like a Titan. What about all the people you've hurt?"

"Shut up!" I cried.

"Like I said Terra, I've been watching you. Everywhere you go trying to do good, only for tragedy to strike. Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Floods. So many people getting hurt. And those that didn't, resenting you for causing them trouble."

"Stop it!" I fell to a knee, my head now swimming with everything that happened. Everything from my past, all resurfacing at once.

Slade's eyes narrowed into snakelike slits, almost as if he was preparing to pounce on his wounded pray. "You may claim to be a Teen Titan, and they may claim to accept you, but as soon as they know your secret, they will resent you just like everybody else."

"But Beast Boy…"

"Can't keep his mouth shut forever," Slade finished. He reached down with a gloved hand and picked up a scoop of dirt. "You need a teacher. Someone who can make full use of your abilities. Someone who can mould you and train you so you can truly shine." He released his clenched fist and held it out for me to hold. When I looked into my hand, I saw a jewel so bright I could see my own reflection in it. "I can train you to control your extraordinary power Terra."

"You can?" It seemed too good to be true. Could I really believe this man? Sure, he was offering me the very thing I had always wanted, but how could I trust him after everything he'd done? He was a menace.

Without warning, he reached out and grabbed me. "It's time for you to come away with me. You don't belong with the Teen Titans. I'll make you my new apprentice." Everything he said always had the same cold, emotionless tone almost as if he was some sort of cyborg.

At that moment, Beast Boy broke through the barricade of rocks. He was in his gorilla form and he looked more than a little ticked off. As he usually did, he only maintained his form for a brief second before returning back to his humanoid self. "Get your hands off of her!" He transformed into a rhino, but Slade effortlessly dispatched him, sending him flying against the cavern wall.

"Beast Boy!" As I yelled to him I felt a familiar pulse running through my body as the cavern began to shake. "No! Don't lose control. Don't lose control."

"Why Terra, how could you lose something you never had," Slade goaded me coldly. My powers continued to flow through me unwillingly, causing the whole tunnel to begin collapsing. Rock was falling from the ceiling and I felt a tornado of dust start to surround me. Sensing the urgency of the situation, Slade let go of me and began to retreat. "They'll never accept you Terra. I'm the only one who can understand you. I'll be waiting." And with that final bit of antagonization, he disappeared.

Power continued to flow around me. I felt my eyes give way to beams of yellow light as my powers began to fully take hold. I lost control of my body as the energy continued to build around me. A full whirlwind now surrounded me, sending rock and debris flying around the outside. All the while I was helpless to do anything to stop it. An all too familiar feeling.

Then suddenly I felt something. Not rock, wind, or even the energy around me, but a human hand. The hand grabbed firmly on to my own as Beast Boy's body was pulled upward by the gusty winds. Still, he stubbornly maintained his grip and even caught hold of my other hand. I couldn't believe it, how could a human withstand such force? I suddenly felt the hairclip on my head again. Somehow, he had managed to grab it after the wind had blown it off and secure it to my hair.

Somehow, I slowly felt myself regaining control. I could move my fingers once again, and the wind around us decreased ever so slightly. Perhaps sensing this, Beast Boy began to pull harder on my hands, pulling me closer to him. As he did, I felt my blue eyes return in place of the yellow beams of energy. We slowly began to descend, bit by bit, as he pulled me into an embrace. The winds continued to slow around us, as I could no longer fight back my tears. I felt hot streaks of tears running down my face. I could no longer contain my emotions as I caved in and began to sob.

"It's okay Terra, I'm here." Beast Boy stroked my long blonde hair in an attempt to reassure me.

"You wouldn't…" I choked between sobs

"I'm not going to tell anyone," he confirmed. "I promise."

…

"How did I do?" I felt nervous asking the question, worried I could never compare to the level of 5 renowned heroes like the Teen Titans. Robin looked at me rather seriously for a second, but then his expression softened as he reached out his hand to me, holding what looked like a circular radio with a T written on it.

"We don't give these out to just anyone. I definitely think it would be worth while to keep in touch."

"Wow this is really cool." I looked at the radio and flipped it over in my hand. There were so many random buttons on it that I had no idea what they did. I pushed one and ended up releasing some sort of purple gas that made me cough. As I did, Raven looked at me and rolled her eyes, unsurprisingly fed up with my antics yet again. I gave her an annoyed look in response and stuck my tongue out at her, but she simply went back to meditating and turned her back to me.

"Of course, if you want to become an official Teen Titan, there's still a bit more work to do," Robin continued with no small sense of pride.

I almost dropped the radio he had just given to me in shock. "You mean, I could actually join the team?!"

"Well certainly," Robin put his hand to his chin as if contemplating something very deep and important. "Of course, we'll want to run you through the obstacle course a few more times…"

"Hopefully without breaking anything this time!" Cyborg interjected. "I reinforced everything after you broke it!"

Robin glanced at him inquisitively while I found myself giggling at his comment. It was so absurd that I had managed to destroy his course entirely to begin with.

"…Yes well, not destroying our course is definitely a good thing." Robin himself couldn't help chuckling a little bit. "It's okay though. I know you can't fully control your powers, but with time I think you can learn to…"

This time I did drop the radio along with a number of other things. I turned to Beast Boy out of rage and confusion. "You told them?!"

Beast Boy's eyes went wide at this accusation. He held his hands up defensively between us. "I didn't!"

I couldn't contain myself anymore. I felt tears building up in my eyes yet again. "You told me you wouldn't tell anyone. You promised! You lied to me. You lied!"

And with that I ran out of the tower feeling lost, hurt, and betrayed, while Beast Boy stood in the same spot speechless, completely unable to make sense of what had just happened. I didn't dare to look back as I ran out toward where I had come from originally, eventually finding the long, lonely path through the desert as I ran away as fast as my legs could carry me…


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2- BETRAYL

I felt myself panting as I pushed onward on my groaning legs. I had lost track of how far, or even where, I was running. I continued on aimlessly, not even sure where I was trying to go. As I kept pressing on, I felt myself increasingly unaware of where I was. At one point, I nearly tumbled off a cliff as I ran near a steep slope. In a panic, I flipped around and continued running in the opposite direction.

My surroundings blurred as I ran past them. The objects of my surroundings were hardly my concern right now. Ever since I had fled Titan's Tower, I had felt that familiar, ominous presence as though someone was watching me.

My scrambling would eventually meet its fateful end as I failed to notice a rather large rock in the middle of my walking path. As I trudged straight into it, I found myself losing my balance, and stumbling to the ground. My face fell headfirst into a pile of mud still lying around from recent rain. As I sat up to try to bring myself to my feet, I saw enough of a glimmer in the mud puddle that I could see my own mud-covered face looking back at me. Behind me, was the reflection of the half flesh-colored, half black mask.

Could I have been imagining it? After all, I had been haunted by the image of Slade that night in the caverns. "They'll never accept you Terra," his voice echoed in my head. "I'll be waiting."

I looked into the puddle and saw my hair had fallen over my right eye. With the mud covering my body I looked like a total mess, and I barely recognized the face in the reflection looking back at me. I held my head in my hands. "Why did I run?" I asked myself out loud. "Why do I always run? They took me in, called me their friend. And I still ran."

"Because they don't understand you," a voice suddenly answered. Dread filled my whole being as I looked around to confirm that I had not been hallucinating and Slade was in fact stand right behind me. "I'm the only one who does. Come with me Terra, and I will show you how to control your great power."

In a sudden burst of rage, I pulled myself to my feet and turned to face him. My eyes were glowing yellow and I felt myself unleashing my power again. Only, this time I wasn't completely helpless. This time I felt myself guiding the rocks toward Slade. How was I doing this?

Despite my best efforts, Slade proved difficult to hit. The man (if he was truly man) proved to be incredibly agile and dodged every shot I took at him. He leaped from massive boulder to massive boulder, before eventually whipping out some sort of staff that he used to split one of my rocks in two. "Good Terra," he managed between dodges. "You see, your rage gives you focus. Use it!"

It wasn't hard to feel some amount of rage for a man who seemed to joy himself in pointing out my weak points. A man who pushed me not to trust my friends. Who had taunted me and threatened long before I had even met them.

And yet…

I remembered everything he had told me before. "You need a teacher," the memory echoed in my head. "Someone who can teach you to control your extraordinary power." If I learned from him, could I stop accidentally hurting people? Could I actually gain control of my powers?

The resulting state of confusion I put myself in caused me to lose my edge, and thus slip out of control. I felt my power pulsating around me in a veil of energy once again. I prepared myself for yet another descent of destruction, but I somehow found myself stopped. As I felt the energy around me build, I felt a gadget attach itself to me. The gadget seemed to absorb the energy, and before I knew it, the desert was calm once again. As I turned, I saw Slade facing me with some sort of controller in his hand. He pushed a button and the gadget detached itself from me.

"Cyborg isn't the only one with technological tricks up his sleeve. These nanobots absorb energy, and then use it to power several of my larger devices. By absorbing the energy released by your powers when you lose control, you can more easily return to equilibrium. In other words, by deploying the nanobots when you lose control of your power, you can learn how to regain it."

I was speechless. The only other time I had regained control of my power after I had lost it was when Beast Boy had interfered and reached out to me. But there was no denying, Slade's method was effective.

"Why would you help me?" I asked. "What's in it for you?"

Slade's ever cold, vacant expression made it hard to read his emotions, but he seemed pleased that I had asked this question. I began to feel like a fly caught in a web. "For some time now, I have been in search of an apprentice. Someone to groom and learn about the work I have been doing. I had found one some time ago, but it seems he never really appreciated what I offered him. He ultimately chose to pursue other interests, and for some time since then, my new target has been you."

I took a step back and felt my shoes splash into the mud behind me. I held my hands up as he took a reciprocating advance toward me. "Why me?"

"Because you have a gift unlike any I have seen in a long time Terra. When I look at you, I see untapped potential. I see a star that's ready to shine given enough patience. I can train you. I can show you everything I know, and you'll never have to worry about hurting anyone again."

My head began to hurt. How could a man like this help me? I knew what Slade was. I knew what he did. So why was I listening to him? I fell down to my knees as the weight of what he was saying collapsed over me. "Why should I listen to you?" I finally mustered. "All you've ever wanted is power for yourself, no matter what the cost. I'm no criminal!"

Slade seemed rather amused at my statement. "You seem to think you have it all figured out. That good and evil are always that black and white. Are the Teen Titans really as good as they say they are? They lied to you. They hurt you. They never fully trusted you."

"Stop it!" I couldn't take any more. I felt my whole body shaking as I continued to try to restrain myself from losing my grip yet again. Was what he was saying true? Did I let myself get deceived by the Titans? They had all been so welcoming to me though, especially the green one.

There was one thing I couldn't get past though. I needed to learn how to control my powers. Until I did, anyone who got close to me was in danger. For the longest time, I hadn't known anyone who could help me. Up until now. Slade was the first person who had demonstrated a resiliency to my power. The first person who had shown me he had a way to help me control it.

"If you help me," I finally answered, "what will you want in return? Will I have to help you hurt people?"

Slade laughed again. "Dear child, in time you will learn that these people aren't any better than me. Even the Teen Titans. But for now, all I require is information. Give me all the information you know about the Teen Titans, and I will help you learn to control your power."

I looked at him sceptically. "What kind of information?"

"You've been inside their tower. You've gained the trust of the team, and so I want you to share with me what you've learned. Put simply, I want to know their strengths, their weaknesses, their fears. Anything I can use to further my plans."

I backed away. It was so much to take in and it made me feel overwhelmed. "How could I tell you that? I'd be betraying their trust!"

"And why should you defend them?" Slade countered. "They lied to you Terra." He started advancing toward me again. "They said they would never hurt you, but they did. They said they'd never tell your secret, but they did. They betrayed you!"

I sat quietly, lost in thought. As silence filled the air the sounds of crickets were once again audible. As was the rustle of the wind, blowing the desert vegetation. After a while, Slade finally turned and began walking away from me. After about five or six strides, he stopped and paused for a moment. "If you return to the Titans now, they'll only think of you as a dangerous menace just like everyone else. They will shun you, or lock you up in prison and tell you that it's for your own protection. After all the world has done to you, why do you still try to protect it? I and I alone can help you put an end to the cycle and learn control once and for all." He dropped a circular shaped gadget on the ground at his feet. "If you change your mind and decide to take my offer, you know where to find me." And with a few more steps into the darkness, he was gone.

…

"Oww! Damn it!" I felt jabs of pain as the swarm of cyborgs continued to attack me before I could put up my defences.

"Concentrate Terra!" came a voice from up above me. "You have to get your rock wall up before the strikes come. Pain will be your teacher!"

The cyborgs pressed their attack even faster. It was all I could do to see the attacks in time, let alone react to them. Concentrating my energy, I released a pulse around me that pushed the cyborgs back, giving myself a perimeter.

"Better," the voice approved. "Remember that your powers go beyond simply the ability to move boulders. Now, let's see if you can do it again." With the pressing of a switch, no less than fifteen cyborgs surrounded me. This time I was ready to end this once and for all. I once again unleashed a wave of energy to push them back, but this time I followed that up by blasting a wall of rock straight up around me. After closing my eyes to concentrate for a brief second, I pushed the circle of rock outwards, pushing the cyborgs back against the walls of the training room. Not a single one of them so much as twitched.

Claps echoed from the observation area above me. "Excellent killer instinct Terra. If you show even the slightest bit of hesitation, your enemy will use that to their advantage. Being decisive will also aid with your control."

My hands fell to my knees as I panted. Sweat rolled down off my forehead and onto the floor. I had never been this exhausted in my life. "Are we done for the day then?" I demanded.

"Oh no Terra, we are only just getting started."

…

A table stood in the middle of the room with a replica of Titan's tower on it. The replica was surprisingly accurate, capturing the geography of the bay surrounding the tower. It seemed that the creator had spent a great deal of time at the tower, so much so that they were able to account for every architectural detail of the tower. Where all the cameras were, where to find all the entrances, and even weak points in the foundation.

"Are we clear on the plan then?" Slade looked at me and squinted his eyes. He seemingly continued to lack any kind of faith or trust in me despite the fact that I had been training with him for three months now.

"I'm to go to Titan's tower and tell them I'm ready to join their team," I relayed. "I'll convince them to give me a chance, and once they do, I'll seek to gain their trust. As soon as I have access to them, I'll use the tower security codes to disable the security system, which will allow your droids to infiltrate the tower." I dropped my eyes toward the floor. How could I be doing this to them? After they were so nice and welcoming to me, was I really going to betray their trust and help Slade capture their tower?

Perhaps sensing my hesitation Slade turned to me and lowered himself so his eyes were on level with mine. "Yes. And if you ever think twice, just remember how I was the one who taught you to control your powers. I was the only one who accepted you despite all the destruction you caused. And without me, you'll simply go back to hurting everyone you care about and destroying everything you hold dear. Without me, there is nothing you can do to stop it."

I grimaced, remembering all the destruction and all the people who had gotten hurt because of me. "I know. I'll get the job done."

"That's my girl." If that sentence didn't sound so sinister, I might have almost thought Slade smiled. "Then go and see it done." He handed me a laptop computer. "Use this to take the codes offline. I have a software on the desktop that you need only run and enter the password once you have it. Per our agreement, that's all you need to do. My droids will take care of the rest."

…

As I made my way to the tower, I couldn't help but feel more doubts pop up in my head. Why was I helping him? Weren't the Titans my friends? How could I betray them like this?

The answer? As much as I hated to admit it, Slade was right. He was the only one who ever could help me control my power. I was miles better with my control now than I ever was before, which gave me hope that I didn't have to worry about accidentally causing disasters anymore. Like it or not, I owed it to him for training me. At least I wouldn't have to hurt anyone.

When I arrived, it appeared the Titans were playing a game of volleyball. Rather than just barge in and make myself known, I decided it would be better to observe for a while. Perhaps I could make a super heroic entrance at the opportune time to gain their trust easier! I pictured myself in full superhero attire wearing a cape with cool looking symbol in the shape of the letter T. Now if I could just come up with a cooler name than Terra…

Somehow during my daydream, I had become completely ignorant of my surroundings and failed to notice the volleyball coming directly at me. The ball ended up pelting me in the face, fully returning me to the realm of reality. The green one seemed to have gone looking for the ball and was looking in some shrubs not too far away from me. It seemed that the time was now to make myself known.

I sent the ball sailing back toward the court with my powers. As the ball seemingly arrived out of nowhere, the five Titans stared at the ball confused. But if that made them confused, their reactions were all the more shocked when they discovered who had thrown the ball. "Hey guys." I introduced myself casually. "So, who's team am I on?"

"Terra?!" Beast Boy's reaction was so out of sorts that I couldn't help but laugh a bit. "But I thought… you were…" his eyes went blank, perhaps not even aware of what he meant to say anymore.

"Friend Terra it is most joyous to see you!" Starfire shrieked. "Let us partake in the reunion glurg, it is one of the finest delicacies on my home world of Tamaran!"

"Star... let's take it easy on the girl," Cyborg intervened. "After all that volleyball, I'd say we could all use a pile of my old-fashioned pancakes!" Seemingly out of the blue Cyborg had seemed to obtain both a chef's hat and a spatula. He had gotten Beast Boy and Starfire so excited that they had gone chasing after him inside. Meanwhile, Raven slowly followed behind them, giving me the darkest, most annoyed glare I had ever seen, almost as if to say "You're not welcome here. Leave now." As she disappeared into Titans Tower Robin and I stood alone near the side of the volleyball net.

Robin gave me a glance and reached into his pocket, pulling out the radio I had dropped before. "I wasn't sure if you'd ever come by here again after the way you left last time," he said. "What made you decide to come back?"

"I wasn't ready before." I shrugged. "I went off and trained on my own to get better control of my powers. Now I feel like I'm finally ready to take you up on your offer and become a Teen Titan!"

Robin stood motionless for a second, then glanced down at the communicator. He hesitated, not moving to return the radio back to the person it had originally been offered to.

I felt an unexpected pulse of emotion flow through me as my eyes teared up. "Got it. I didn't realize the offer had an expiration date. Guess I can always go back to the caves." What was wrong with me? I wasn't supposed to be getting emotionally invested in this! If I did, it would only make things harder in the end.

"The offer hasn't expired it's just…" once again Robin hesitated. "Look, you should know that Beast Boy never told me…"

"I know that now," I answered. "My lack of control was plenty obvious to anyone watching me." I said this so matter-of-factly, but in all actuality I hadn't come to this conclusion before. I felt a pulse of guilt as I realized that I had blamed Beast Boy for divulging my secret, when it was really through my actions that the other Titans were able to learn of my lack of control. "But I've trained hard and I feel like I have a much better grasp of how to control my powers!"

Robin put his hand on his chin as he often does when he's contemplating something. After sitting in thought for what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke. "Hmm… maybe. Let's have you accompany us on a mission again and see how you do. In the meantime, feel free to crash at the Tower with us and get some food and some rest." He gestured to me to follow behind him into the tower, and with that I was in…

"Alright! Who wants pancakes?" And with that Cyborg unveiled a massive mound of pancakes, topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Both Beast Boy and Starfire's eyes lit up at the sight, and even my own stomach seemed to growl a bit more than usual. "Glorious!" Starfire hovered in the air from her excitement and ran to refrigerator. "I shall gather the pickles and the radish of horse!"

"Umm.. Starfire, I don't think those go on pancakes." Beast Boy's expression as he said that made it impossible for me not to release a giggle.

"You're too funny sometimes Beast Boy."

Beast Boy's eyes lit up with that statement. "You think I'm funny?" And with that he skipped excitedly around the room, seemingly looking for something. "I gotta find the tape recorder. Otherwise, Raven will never believe someone actually thinks I'm funny."

The mention of that name got me thinking. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen Raven or Robin all morning. I thought back to the moment I had with Robin yesterday and how he had mentioned I would go on a mission with the Titans to demonstrate my control.

My thoughts were interrupted as I looked up and saw Cyborg staring at me. "Well now, seems you're in deep thought about something. Spit it out!"

I felt like a kid called upon by a teacher while staring out the window. I gathered my focus and brought myself back from spacing out. "Just thinking what mission Robin might put me through to prove myself."

"Oh don't worry about that," Cyborg dismissed. "I'm sure you'll be able to handle whatever comes our way next. Besides, we'll have your back! But what you need is some pancakes to get your energy pumping! I can top them off with whatever you want. So what'll it be?"

"Honestly, I like my pancakes best with some pineapple and a little powdered sugar." That had been my topping of choice since I was a little kid. Some things never change.

"Alright! One stack of pancakes topped off with pineapple and powdered sugar coming right up!" As he turned to face the grill though I turned away and followed the hallway leading from the kitchen. Curiosity had gotten the better of me (as it often does), and I wanted to find Raven and Robin. As I walked down the hallway, I heard distant footsteps above me. It seemed they had gone up onto the roof.

I found myself a ladder that allowed me to raise myself to the trapdoor in the ceiling and creaked it open ever so slightly. Sure enough, Raven was meditating on the far side of the roof with Robin standing not too far away. They were pretty far away from the trapdoor, but when I strained my ears I could just make out what they were saying.

"Mind if I disturb you for a minute?" Robin asked. "Sorry, I know you don't like being disturbed, but I saw you distancing yourself from Terra… Why?"

Raven sat silently for a moment, and since I'd never actually heard her say anything I wondered if she could even talk. At long last though, she finally answered. "I don't trust her," Raven stated plainly. "Especially after how she stormed out and then mysteriously returned out of the blue several months later. Are you sure we can trust her?"

"Not entirely," Robin admitted. "But with Slade plotting something new every couple of weeks now I can't help but feel like the five of us are stretched a little thin. We could use the help. That said, I think this should be everyone's decision. If I choose her for the team, will you object?"

Raven turned from him and resumed her meditating. I couldn't help but wonder if she would ignore him outright, but eventually she answered. "I trust you more than anyone Robin. I'll follow your best judgement, whatever you decide. Just make sure she respects my space and stays out of my way."

With that Robin turned away and began walking back toward the trapdoor. Seeing this, I quickly ducked down before he noticed that the door was cracked open slightly. As I walked back into the tower, I couldn't help but feel a bit put off by Raven's coldness and apparent rudeness. Stay out of her way, good grief. I had half a mind to go talk to her and put her in her place. But then I remembered what Robin said about how he valued all of their inputs, and I realized that the fact that Raven didn't trust me was a potential problem. I was going to have to try to win her over.

As I made my way back toward the living room, I heard the red sirens start to go off within the tower. Looked like the time to prove my metal had finally come! As I ran out into the main room, I saw the large tv screen was filled with a virtual image of Slade's face. It appeared he was trying to taunt Robin, who looked much more agitated than I had usually seen him. "I've had these worms ready to tunnel around your precious city for hours. Frankly, I'm disappointed you hadn't discovered them yet Robin."

Robin clenched his fists and pounded the table in frustration. After briefly gathering himself, he addressed us as a group. "Looks like Slade's got plans to attack the city with underground wormlike drills. Let's go stop them!" Everyone started to get ready to head out while Robin turned to me. "You should come with us too Terra. Since these drills are buried in the earth, we can get to them a lot easier with your help.

I nodded to express my consent. Perfect! I could use this mission to demonstrate my improved control and hopefully start to earn some of that trust from the team that was so critical for me to complete my real mission. As everyone left the tower, I called a large boulder with my powers, and jumped on it like a hoverboard. It would be hard to find a better ride back into the city!

The team had decided to split up. Cyborg's sensors had indicated two drills were buried beneath the city, and so Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy (who had made sad puppy dog eyes at me when we split up) went after one while Raven, Robin and I went after the other. As we pushed through tunnels dug by the drill under the city, I got serious dejavous from the last time I had gone on a mission with the Titans and ended up wandering underground. It seemed that with the powers I have, I was always going to be spending plenty of time underground and in caves.

We continued to press onward until we eventually found our path blocked by an avalanche of rocks that had fallen sometime earlier. As we halted, Robin pulled out some electronic device from his pocket. "My tracker seems to indicate that the drill is further ahead. Looks like we'll have to get through this barrier somehow."

"On it!" I promptly answered the call. Finally, a task meant just for me. I could finally show the team what I could do.

I felt a shove as I started to make my way toward the obstruction. Not being the most fleet of foot, I found myself stumbling and collapsing to the floor of the tunnel. "Stand aside," Raven commanded. "We don't want to have the cave collapse on us. I'll take care of this."

Outraged that she had pushed me and seemed to feel no remorse, I bolted right back onto my feet. "No, you stand aside!" I shot back. "Moving earth is my power, I was born to do this!"

"No, you were born to crush us with your lack of control," Raven fired back.

"When will you learn to trust me?!"

"When you earn it!"

"Enough, both of you," Robin interrupted wearily. He had already seemed like he hadn't slept in days. "We need both of you to work together if we're ever going to stop Slade." Robin glanced back at the pile of rocks blocking our path. "So why don't both of you clear the path for us? That way you'll each use less energy so we can better conserve for fighting Slade.

Raven and I each shot each other one dirty glance before we both simultaneously turned toward the rocks and began using our powers to clear a path in front of us.

As we continued to press onward, we eventually reached what appeared to be a large, hollowed out mine shaft. The room was so large that there were a couple of lifts to haul freight up to some of the higher scaffolding. As I glanced around, I saw a shadow flash by the light of a distant lantern. I gasped and pointed, but before I could even say anything, the words were taken out of my mouth.

"Slade." Robin's eyes narrowed after uttering the name of his fiercest rival. Almost as if called on que, Slade walked forward out of the shadows and appeared a few yards in front of us.

"Ahh, the Teen Titans. I suppose you're here to stop my drills, but I think you'll find that this time you're too late." As he said that, the ground began to shake. A single drill emerged from the walls of the cavern and joined itself into a circle around the circumference of the room. As the drill began to spin, lasers appeared from the top surface and began to cut into the rock up above us, sending waves of small boulders tumbling down on us. Slade looked at us amused. "Did you honestly think my plan was to simply drill a hole beneath the city with the drills? That would be far too predictable, and thus easy for you to stop. Instead, I decided to carve a hole both from above and below with lasers, using the drills as a decoy. And I think you'll find my target to be much more… selective."

As Slade said this, he pressed a button on a remote, revealing a projection of Titan's Tower. We saw Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire, emerge from below ground along with the other drill, which shot into the air and formed a circle similar to the one we were seeing above the tower. As it did, lasers once again appeared, only this time on the bottom surface of the drill. Starfire looked visibly upset and began firing starbolts at the drill, to no avail.

"You won't get away with this Slade," Robin threatened through clenched teeth.

"On the contrary Robin," Slade argued. "As you can see, this drill cannot be destroyed by any weapon you possess. You can't possibly hope to fight me and stop the drill at the same time. Your precious tower will sink into the sea, and there is nothing you can do to stop it."

Robin growled and hesitated for a moment. Then he turned to Raven and I. "Terra, Raven, go find the controls for the drills and try to disable them. I'll take care of Slade." And with that he ushered us away and turned back to his opponent.

Slade looked rather pleased. "Good Robin. Now I have you all to myself." And with that he backed himself into the lift, causing Robin to follow suit. As he did, the door of the lift closed, and the two disappeared into the scaffolding above.

I hesitated a moment, unsure of what I should do. But then I remembered the instruction I was given. "You must maintain your cover for as long as practical. Once you are discovered, invading Titans Tower will become much more difficult. It is essential that you be a good teammate and act the part of a Teen Titan, or none of this will work." I turned back to follow Raven further into the tunnel, feeling a chill as I remembered the rest of that statement. "And you my dear, must complete your objective. I have trained you, and a price must be paid for the service I have done for you. If you should fail, rather than invading Titan's Tower simply to gather intel, I will personally ensure that each and every one of your friends meet their permanent end."

…

Sometime later we finally managed to find the control center for the drills. A central console seemed to be controlling both drills, with a diagram showing the expected path of the lasers encircling the tower. Not much ground remained between the drills. We were running out of time.

Raven jumped on the main computer. "We have to figure out how to stop the drills from pushing through to the surface," Raven said frantically. She began to enter commands on the computer that I couldn't make heads or tails of. Technology had never been much of an interest of mine.

I grabbed a large rock with my powers and held it above the computer. "Why don't we just smash this thing and be done with it?" I asked. "If the computer's fried the drills will stop moving!"

Raven shook her head. "No, if we do that the drills will just continue to spin and we won't be able to stop them. I need you to try to stabilize the ground underneath Titan's Tower so it stops sinking while I keep trying to stop this thing."

"But that will just delay the inevitable won't it?" I also somewhat doubted I could hold that whole tower up by myself. I lowered the rock more. "Let's just crush it!"

"No!" Raven commanded. "Do as I say and try to hold up the Tower!"

"Why won't you trust me?" I spat at her.

"Trust isn't freely given. You have to earn it."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"You can start by listening to what I'm telling you." With that, her point finally resonated in me and after a moment's hesitation, I cast the boulder aside and began using my powers to hold up the tower as best as I could.

As the moments passed I felt myself growing weaker and weaker from expending so much energy. "I can't keep this up much longer," I managed as I began to feel my body collapsing from fatigue. "How much longer Raven?"

Raven continued to frantically press keys on the computer. "I'm doing everything I can. This is an incredibly difficult computer to crack. I can barely make heads or tails of it."

I felt myself slip a few inches, and as I did, a large rock broke loose and fell towards the computer. Luckily, Raven was able to dive out of the way, but the computer was smashed to the point where it was no longer usable. As the computer was smashed, the drill began to accelerate, and the lasers cut through the rock even faster. Raven gave me a sideways glare as I scratched my head with my free hand. "Okay, so maybe blowing up the computer was a bad idea."

Unsure of what else she could do now, Raven projected her forcefield and began to help me push the rock upward. As she did, I felt my load lighten considerably. It took much less energy to hold up with two people. For what seemed like an eternity, we stood there and held up the weight of the world, until eventually even with the two of us the weight became too much to bear.

Just as we felt the tower begin to slip into oblivion, the drill suddenly powered off and collapsed, with the drill from the surface following suit not long after. It appeared Cyborg and Beast Boy had managed to hack into it and destroy it from the inside-out. Apparently, the lower drill was dependent on the upper one and without it operating normally collapsed as well. Without anything cutting through the rock, Raven and I were able to push the tower back up to its original height and solidify the ground below it by moving rocks around. The drill had been stopped and the tower was saved!

…

Back at the Tower, I started to gather my things. I figured the team would probably give me a friendly goodbye, but I wouldn't be put in a position to grab the codes. I could rendezvous with Slade and give him my latest intel and that would be it. I'd have paid him back for training me and I could get back to the nomad lifestyle I'd grown comfortable with.

As I finished packing the last of my clothing, I got up and prepared to say my goodbyes. The team was together in the living room, seemingly unwinding and catching a flick. I turned and addressed all of them. "Well, it's been real guys, but I'd better hit the road." I turned toward the door. "Thanks for letting me crash here! Maybe in a while I can come back and…" I trailed off as I saw Cyborg suddenly appear in the doorway preventing me from leaving.

Cyborg looked at me and shook his head. "Don't even think about it."

Bewildered, I looked from one Titan to another and saw the same looks of anticipation on all their faces. "Guys… What's all this about?"

"Well..." Robin paused as he seemed to be thinking about how to best answer my question. "We've been giving it a lot of thought and…"

"We wish for you to stay with us!" Starfire interrupted, unable to contain her excitement. Accordingly, her feet had left the ground and she was hovering in the middle of the room.

As she said that, Robin smiled and handed me a replacement communicator. I looked at him and he nodded affirmatively at me as I reached out to grab the communicator. "Congratulations, you're now an official Teen Titan!" As Robin said that the entire room broke out in cheers. Beast Boy appeared to be daydreaming, saying something along the lines of "This is the greatest day of my life" while Starfire was so giddy she accidentally sent a starbolt flying toward the tv, drawing an angry look from Cyborg.

Despite all the commotion, my gaze drifted toward the quietest corner of the room, where the pale Titan in a dark blue robe to match her hair stood. She noticed my glance, looked up at me, and gave me a quiet congratulations. For the first time I could remember, I think I saw her smile.

Beast Boy and Cyborg brought in the tallest cake I had ever seen to celebrate, but Robin stopped them. "Hold on just a second, there's something else first." As he said that, my stomach turned. Was there some sort of initiation? Did I have to prove my worth before we could make anything official?

I knew something was up when I saw everyone else give a look like they had remembered something they had forgotten. Robin beckoned for me to follow him. We went down a long, dark hallway with several rooms on either side. As we approached the end of the hallway, Robin led me into a room on the right. The lights were off, and all I could see was the moonlight coming through a window on the far side of the room. "What is this?" I asked.

"Your room." And as he answered he flipped a light switch and I was momentarily blinded by the sudden appearance of bright overhead light. As my eyes began to adjust, I saw the room was larger than it had appeared in the dark, littered with brown and grey furniture. Everything appeared to be in an earth tone, with the walls painted to depict rock formations in the desert. As I looked up at the ceiling, I saw it was painted to depict a night sky covered in stars exactly like you would see camping in the wilderness miles from civilization. This room had been designed specifically for one person: me.

As I looked at Robin curiously, he seemed to sense my amazement. "We had been designing this room for you for some time now. We don't have many people we invite to join the team, but we've known we wanted you to join for some time now. We wanted to make sure it felt like home to you!"

"And I built the furniture!" Beast Boy bragged, before raising his finger to reveal a nail that had been stuck in his finger. I couldn't help but giggle as I helped him remove it.

Robin looked at his watch. "Anyway, it's getting late so we should all probably head to bed. Slade may have been stopped today, but there's no telling what he might be planning tomorrow." Everyone began to head out of the room as I continued to look around in awe. As Robin walked past me, he turned to me. "Feel free to unpack and make yourself comfortable. Welcome to the team!" And with that he followed the others out of the room, leaving me by myself.

I looked around the room once more, still completely amazed by how appropriate it was for me. The Titans seemed to know me better than anyone else ever did. This room is perfect! I grabbed the communicator Robin had given me moments ago and looked at it. The metal on it was so shiny I could see my own reflection in it. "I don't believe it. They actually trust me!" I said out loud as my bangs fell over my eyes, covering half my face.

…

Over the next several weeks, we went on dozens of missions. We fought everything from giant robots to mutant lab rats. It really amazed me how many issues arose in Jump City! But anytime they did, we were there to save the day. It wasn't all work though. Afterward we would go for pizza, or go throw a Frisbee in the park (with Beast Boy transformed into a dog of course). I always got licked and slobbered on afterward, making me giggle while simultaneously feeling disgusted. Although they didn't last long, those carefree days were some of the best of my life.

Then one day while I was relaxing in my room on my laptop, I got a voice call. It was Slade. I had completely forgotten why I was here! I thought about ignoring the call, but ultimately I wasn't given a choice as the call auto-answered. "Terra! It has been far too long. I trust by now you have gained the trust of the Titans and all is going to plan?"

I hesitated to answer, taking a second to look around and make sure none of the Titans were listening. "Yes, mission accomplished. I have the codes." I felt defeated just saying that sentence. I had foolishly hoped things could continue just as they had been without thinking about Slade or his plans.

"Excellent work my apprentice," Slade said without even a twinge of appreciation. "Now we can set things in motion. I have sent you a security breach program. All you need to do is enter the code and set the security systems to be deactivated at midnight tonight. My droids will take care of the rest."

I made an uncomfortable face, glad that Slade could not see my expression. But somehow, he seemed to sense my hesitancy anyway. "Well now Terra, I hope you haven't gotten too attached. Don't forget how they lied to you and sent you away while I took the time to train you and take you in. You have nowhere else to go.

"I'm not attached," I lied. "I'll get that system offline."

"Excellent. Once the tower has been infiltrated your debt to me will be paid, per our agreement. Good luck!" And with that he signed off, leaving me alone in my room.

Feeling all the more paranoid, I looked around the hallway outside to make sure no one was lurking within earshot before closing the door. I pulled open my laptop and entered the security key into Slade's program. At midnight tonight, the system would go offline, and the droids would be able to enter Titan's Tower.

I sat on my bed with my head between my knees. I was pathetic. How could I do this to my team- my friends? I was betraying every one of them by helping Slade. I would have to disappear after Slade's invasion since they'd know it was me as soon as they checked where the security system was hacked from. I would miss all of them. Especially Beast Boy. He was also so nice to me. And supportive. And caring. And funny. And…

My thoughts trailed off as I heard a knock on the door. I gasped, fearing the worst, and closed my laptop and hid it under my bed. As I walked up the door, I peaked through the gaps and saw someone green standing on the other side. It was Beast Boy.

As I opened the door, I saw he seemed to be wearing an extremely nervous expression that seemed really unlike him. After I had stepped out of my room and into the doorway, he simply stood there and looked at me like a deer looking into headlights. Feeling a bit uneasy, I finally broke the silence. "Hi."

"Hi!" He responded anxiously. He scratched his head, seemingly unsure how to proceed and once again clammed up in awkward silence.

Unable to bear the awkwardness anymore, I started to back away into my room. "Okay, well nice talking to you!" And with that, I saw him seemingly snap out of his confused state as I began to close the door.

"Wait!" He reached behind him and grabbed some sort of wrapped package he had been hiding and presented it to me. "I kinda… made you something. Went a bit crazy with the hot glue gun." He laughed uneasily as he revealed the hot glue gun stuck to his hand.

I looked at him suspiciously. What could he have possibly made for me? And why had he made anything for me at all? My birthday had come and gone months ago, and it was still too early in the year for a Christmas gift. A thought crossed my mind. What if he was on to me and this was some sort of threat? Sweat poured down my face as I unwrapped the gift.

I nearly dropped it in shock as I removed the last of the wrappings. It's a good thing I didn't, considering the whole thing would've broke into pieces. It was made of some sort of glass, and it was so shiny I could see my own reflection. It was in the shape of a heart and opened at the hinge, creating a makeshift storage container. I was lost for words. And to think I had thought this might be a threat. I couldn't have been more wrong.

At long last, words found me. "Beast Boy, this is beautiful!" I looked it over again from top to bottom. "I… I don't know what to say." Truer words had never been spoken.

Beast Boy smiled at my response. "Well… you could say yes." I looked at him questioningly. "…because I'm about to ask you on a date."

At long last, Beast Boy's intentions began to become clear to my oblivious mind. I had never thought of things with him that way before. This was all so sudden, I had no idea what to say. And yet, I felt word vomit making its way out of my mouth. "Sure, what did you have in mind?"

Beast Boy's eyes lit up. "Well, I was thinking tomorrow night you and I could go catch a movie, maybe go grab dinner somewhere…"

Tomorrow… Panic began to set in as I remembered what was to happen at midnight tonight. I began to retreat again. "Beast Boy, I can't."

Beast Boy looked bewildered. "What? Well how about…"

"I just can't!" I slammed the door on him and shrunk down into a heap on the floor, holding the heart-shaped box to my chest. How could I have been so foolish? I knew what was to happen tonight, and yet I had still indulged his request. Why? What was wrong with me? Even though he had lied to me, and I to him, I felt sad. When I tried to think of why, I kept thinking about spending time with him by the water skipping stones. Or how he had been there for me when I had lost control. The thought of him holding me and comforting me brought a stupid smile to my face.

It was then that everything finally started to click in my mind. I liked Beast Boy as more than just a friend. All of the distractions around me, from obstacle courses, to Slade, to the conflicts with Raven, had made me all the more oblivious to something so trivial comparatively. But I couldn't ignore my feelings any longer. I had made an agreement with Slade to give him access to the tower, but I could at least make sure Beast Boy wasn't here when the invasion happened. I looked at the clock. 9 pm. Still enough time to act if I moved now.

I got up and opened the window to my room. I summoned a large boulder from the ground below the tower large enough for me to stand on. As I got on it and out into the cool night-time air, I looked back at the tower and into my room. I began to feel remorse as I thought back on what I would be giving up. Ultimately, I had gotten in too deep with the wrong person, and the cost would be the life I had long longed for: to fit in and feel like I belonged. My powers had so often been a curse and made me feel like a freak. All I had wanted was to feel normal and accepted. Titans tower had given me that, but I knew I couldn't stay. All I could do now was to try to bring Beast Boy with me so he wouldn't get hurt too.

I flew around the tower until I came to the window outside Beast boy's room. As I approached the window, I noticed it was open, allowing me to overhear what he was saying. For some reason, he didn't seem to notice I was there. I sat there for a moment, listening. I wanted to understand his intentions a bit, and he would never speak as openly if he knew I was there.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I overheard him say as he paced back and forth in front of tall mirror. "How could you mess that up? All you had to do was stand there and act cool." He flexed his more than modest muscles in front of the mirror. "You could've been like 'Yo Terra! You and me, movies Friday?'"

I couldn't help but laugh at his attempts to act cool, so I had to cover my mouth to avoid blowing my cover. His confidence quickly deflated as he looked down toward the floor. "Idiot. All you could do was give her that stupid heart she's probably going to throw out. All I wanted to do was show her how much I cared about her, and now she'll probably never go out with me."

"I wouldn't say that." He looked over toward the window in shock as I made my presence known. "And for the record, I love that heart you made for me. I'm not about to throw it away."

Beast Boy stood there and stared at me for a long moment. "How long have you been there?" he finally mustered. "Did you hear me..."

"I heard enough." I giggled, seemingly lifting his spirits. "Want to go out?"

"Yeah! I uhh…" he regrouped a bit and took a deep breath. "I mean, that's cool. But I thought you didn't want to go out with me."

I gave him a reassuring smile and offered my hand to him through the window. "Do you trust me?"

"More than anyone I've ever met," he responded warmly. He reached out and grabbed my hand as I pulled him through the window and onto my rock platform with me. "So, do you want to catch a movie? I hear there's a really great movie about some astronauts that go investigate a distress signal and end up getting tormented by an alien…"

He trailed off as I punched him. "Don't ask a girl out to a horror movie on a first date," I scolded. He looked deflated again, causing me to laugh. "Let me handle this, I know a great spot I used to always go. Not to mention they're known for their food!" At the mention of food, he instantly perked up. I grabbed his hand as I flew us off into the night sky toward the city…

As we sat at the bar in the diner I had so often frequented, I watched as Beast Boy took a massive forkful of apple pie. When he shovelled the pie into his mouth, his eyes widened in shock. "Well, what do you think?" I asked.

"This is the best pie in the history of pie." He replied without a moment's hesitation. Within the course of a few seconds the entire pie was gone leaving behind scarcely a crumb.

"The apple here's the best, but if you want cherry there's a place over on the other side of Jump City that does an amazing job! And you can get a great pumpkin pie over in…" I trailed off. As I looked into the glass from the bar reflected back at me, I saw the reflection of a half flesh-colored, half black mask glaring back at me. No way! How could Slade have followed me here? I looked at my watch and saw the time said 1030. It was almost time for the invasion to begin. Slade's words echoed in my head: "All you need to do is enter the code and set the security systems to be deactivated at midnight tonight. My droids will take care of the rest."

As I looked up, I saw Slade's reflection was gone from the glass. Perhaps I had just been imagining it? Why would Slade have been following me anyway when his attention needed to be on Titan's Tower?

I must have shown some amount of uneasiness on my face as Beast Boy seemed to catch on. "Terra, is everything okay?" he asked.

I snapped back into focus. "Totally, everything's more than fine," I lied. "So where to next? I know of a carnival that runs all night we could go check out!"

Beast Boy, seemingly reassured, gave me a smile. "Terra, with you I'd go anywhere."

I couldn't help but feel a little touched. "You rock my world Beast Boy," I said while giving him an affectionate punch in the arm. "I'd go anywhere with you too. Come on, let's go check it out." I left some change on the table for the waitress and with that we were off once again…

"And that's another win!" Beast Boy had knocked down all the bottles in the carnival game for the fourth time in a row, once again giving us the chance to choose a price. The attendant gave us an annoyed look, clearly not excited to give away all her prizes.

"It's still not enough for the giant teddy bear though," I pointed out. "How about letting me give it a try? I bet I kick ass at this game!" Beast Boy handed me the ball, but when I tried throwing it, the ball barely cleared a few feet before falling to the ground. I blushed, embarrassed at my lack of athletic ability. Admittedly, sports had never been a huge strong suit of mine.

It didn't matter though. As Beast Boy took the ball back from me, he again knocked down all the bottles, ultimately winning me the giant teddy bear he had promised me. The bear was huge, built to the dimensions of a real bear. I didn't really care for stuffed animals all that much, but he was proud to have won it for me. I figured I'd let him have his moment of triumph.

And so, the night went on. We went on the bumper cars and thrashed each other around the ring, we rode the roller coaster, we ate cotton candy, and we even took cute couple pictures. The more time I spent with Beast Boy, the more I discovered how funny he was and how much he made me laugh. When I spent time with him, I felt a connection unlike any I had ever felt with another person before. It seemed like I had finally met someone who really got me and brought the best out of me. All the tragedy and heartbreak of my past felt like a distant memory.

After we had been on every other carnival ride, Beast Boy made the suggestion we ride the Ferris Wheel to get a glimpse of the city at night. We got our own car and as it took off, I felt the cool night air blow through my long blonde hair. The cityscape was gorgeous. Looking over the side, I could see a sea of city lights encircling the bay. The stars were out and seemingly brighter than ever, completely unobstructed by a cloudless sky.

I pulled myself closer to Beast Boy and rested my head on his shoulder. "It sure is beautiful up here!"

"Yeah it is, but the view's even better in this car," he replied. Ugh, this line was so cheesy I wanted to hurl. But at the same time, I couldn't keep myself from blushing. Seemingly sensing this, he pressed on. "So what made you change your mind about going out with me? It's the arms, am I right?" He flexed his muscles, causing me to giggle like a mindless schoolgirl.

"In all honesty, I thought about it, and I realized that of all the places I could be tonight, the place I wanted to be most was right here with you." I blushed again at the sincerity of my statement, but this time I kept my eyes fixed on his. As I did, I felt the gap between us growing smaller. As I leaned in, I felt myself drift off into some sort of trance where I felt completely oblivious to the world around me.

Our lips met. In that blissful moment, the whole world melted away. Reality blurred with fantasy and I couldn't be sure any of this was really happening. My only thought was of Beast Boy's hands running through my long hair. We might've been there for a few seconds or it could've been an hour. Time was irrelevant.

With a sudden jolt I heard the loud chime of a clock nearby. As the clock gonged, reality seemed to seep back into me piece by piece. I was lying to the person I cared about the most of anyone. I had lied to his whole team. I had lied to myself thinking I could forget about it and pretend as if nothing had happened. And as the chimes continued, I came to realize it was midnight, knowing full well what that meant. The invasion had begun.

"Tick tock, Terra." A voice came from within our car. This startled both of us so much that we broke apart, thinking that we were alone. A shadowy figure sat in the corner of the car, observing us. "Surely you and your little boyfriend didn't think you could just run away and act like nothing happened? Not after what was to happen tonight; what is happening this very moment."

"Get away from us Slade." Beast Boy sounded uncharacteristically ticked off as he turned toward the shadowy corner. "What are you planning and why are you following us? Tell me now!"

For what I believed to be the first time, I heard Slade laugh. This was not one of your good natured laughs you hear after your friend tells you a bad joke, but the deranged, twisted laugh of a true sociopath. "You mean she never told you? I thought you two were friends."

Beast Boy had finally had enough and transformed into a gorilla and jumped at Slade. The two ended up rolling out of the car and onto the mechanisms steering the ferris wheel, leaving me to watch uncertainly, unsure of what to do.

A struggle commenced between the two, with Beast Boy shapeshifting into several primeape-like animals as Slade fought him off with a crowbar. The struggle was surprisingly fairly even for a while, with Beast Boy able to fend off Slade's attacks without any help. Eventually though, Beast Boy began to tire, and has he grew more exhausted, one of his attacks on Slade missed completely, allowing Slade to hammer him in the face with a crowbar. Beast Boy slid backward, prompting Slade to advance forward to make another devastating strike.

Beast boy glanced up at me from his prone position. "Terra, help!" he called out to me.

I looked between him and Slade uncertainly for a moment before deciding to act. "Beast Boy, fly!" As I called to him, he instantly tuned into an eagle, seemingly trusting me without a moment's hesitation. He flew off the ferris wheel, leaving Slade alone on the mechanics as I began to activate my powers.

Slade turned his attention to me. "Terra, no!" he commanded.

I closed my eyes and looked away as I raised and lowered my arms, sending the ferris wheel tumbling down to the ground, knowing full well that there would likely be consequences for that decision later.

I created a rock staircase for myself down from the car to the ground below. Once I reached the bottom, Beast Boy flew down and transformed back into his humanoid self. Sensing the urgency of the situation, he grabbed my hand and began to pull me off. "Come on, he'll be back and we need to lose him!"

He pulled me into the carnival's mirror maze attraction. The maze was so full of reflections, and reflections of reflections, that simply walking in was disorienting. We ran down several corridors lined with he mirrors until we reached a circular area towards the middle of the maze. "Let's catch our breath here for a second." Both of us were panting heavily from trying to outrun Slade.

As the wind slowly returned to me, I began to become aware of a gnawing feeling in my gut. Guilt. How could I keep lying to Beast Boy about what was going on? He didn't even know his friends were in danger!

"Beast Boy…" I hesitated, unsure of what to say. If I told him all of this, everything I had done, what was happening now, would he turn on me? Then I remembered how good he had been to me, about how he had actually kept his promise to keep my lack of control a secret. I had to say something.

"What is it? He asked.

I looked down at the ground, unable to keep eye contact with him. "If you knew something bad about me, would you still be my friend?"

"Of course." Beast Boy looked a little bewildered.

"I mean, if you were really my friend… I could tell you anything, and no matter how awful and how terrible it might seem, you would…"

Beast Boy stopped me. "Terra, no matter what you told me about you, I would feel the same way I do now. Now come on, we need to check in with the rest of the team, I think Slade's planning something!" He reached into his pocket to search for his communicator, but found nothing, unaware that I had taken it earlier to keep him away from the trap set up at the tower. I just didn't want to see him get hurt.

"My communicator is missing! Let me see yours."

I backed away. I had no choice now, I couldn't keep lying to him. "Beast Boy, I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Beast Boy just looked innocently confused, unaware of the breadth of the situation. "Why can't you?"

"She can't because she has orders from me," answered Slade. His reflection appeared on all the mirrors surrounding where we were standing as his voiced echoed throughout the room. This prompted Beast Boy to look around, noticing all the reflections. As he did, I took advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration to back myself back down the hallway and out of sight. As I did, I collapsed into a ball, unable to watch as Slade revealed everything to Beast Boy.

"I trained her," Slade's voice echoed through the room. "I taught her to control her incredible powers. And in return, she gave me access to Titans Tower. Your friends are being obliterated as we speak."

"Liar!" The sound of glass breaking began to fill the room. I couldn't see his face, but I could feel Beast Boy's anger and confusion. He continued to break mirror after mirror between Slade's taunts. "Why would she ever come to you?!"

"Because I gave her something you never could," Slade goaded. "If she stayed with your team, she'd have probably destroyed half the city in an earthquake."

"I don't believe you!" The sound of more glass-breaking followed once again. "Terra would never…"

"Beast Boy… it's the truth." The grunts of rage and smashed mirrors ceased as I stepped out into the circle with Beast Boy once again, compelled by the desire to be brave and own up to what I had done.

Beast Boy looked like a deer caught in headlights, completely stunned and seemingly not even blinking. Finally, he began to revive and mustered the ability to respond. "I don't understand… why Terra?"

"Because she's too good for your pathetic team," Slade offered, uninvited. "The girl you knew was just a figment of your imagination- an illusion. For reasons unknown to me she seems to have taken pity on you though. Perhaps she intended to use you as a pet."

I flinched as my momentary bravery abandoned me, leaving me helpless as Slade emotionally whipped Beast Boy like he was a helpless puppy. Tears began to fill his eyes.

"I wonder what hurt you more," Slade continued on, "the fact that Terra betrayed you, or that she didn't return your feelings?"

This trigger finally pushed Beast Boy over the edge. In his rage and pain, he jumped at Slade, tackling him to the ground and transforming into a wolf, presumably to tear him apart limb from limb. Unable to endure seeing him in this state any longer, I turned and ran like a coward. I frantically searched for an exit, some sort of escape from this hell, but found none. Instead, I found nothing but more mirrors. As I helplessly pushed through the mirror maze, I reached a dead end and tripped. As I looked up into the mirror, I saw the expression of a frightened girl who had strayed much too far from home. Tears came again as I covered my face and sobbed into my hands.

"I'm sorry Beast Boy," I said aloud, seemingly subconsciously. "For everything. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Then why did you let it?" I gasped at the sudden appearance of the voice and turned toward its source. Sure enough, Beast Boy was standing there in the clearing with me, seemingly having fought off Slade for the moment.

I searched for an answer, but none came to me. I knew there was no justifying what I had done, but I tried to anyway. "I don't know. Slade… he cornered me, said he could train me. And once he did I kind of owed him…"

Beast Boy stared down at the ground, looking defeated and hurt. "Was it all really just fake? Sharing our home, working with us as a team… was it all just a game to you? A way to repay your debt to Slade?"

"No! I… really enjoyed being a Titan."

"Then why did you betray us?"

"I was scared okay? I was worried what he would do if I told him no."

"You never had to give in to him Terra. We could've helped you!"

"I never asked for anyone's help!" I regretted saying this as soon as the words left my mouth. Beast Boy's expression seemed to change from confused to the coldest, iciest look I've ever seen.

He turned away from and began to walk away. I wanted nothing more than for him to stop and turn around so I could talk to him more… try to make him understand the desperation that lead me to turn to Slade. I was almost bewildered when he did in fact stop and turn to face me once again.

"Was everything a lie? Even what we had between us?"

I looked away and felt more tears well up in my eyes. "Beast Boy…" I couldn't say anything more. The words seemed to get choked up in my throat.

Beast boy turned away from me once again. "Slade was right. You don't have any friends." He walked away from me, leaving me completely crushed by the coldness of his words. As I knelt over in pain, the hairclip he had given me fell to the floor with a thud, causing my hair to fall over the left half of my face.

I don't know how long I was there crying, but eventually Slade appeared in the clearing with me. He stood there and watched me for a bit in my despair. Finally, seeing he was there, I did my best to pull myself together and stand up and face him. "Come my child, there's been a change of plan," he said flatly. And with that I followed him off behind a secret door and into the darkness beyond…


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3- Interlude

I'd be lying to you if I told you that my life growing up was difficult. I intentionally don't talk much about it, mostly because I don't want people to think of me as some snobby rich girl. Those were different time back then…

_I woke up that morning in the same manner as usual. As my alarm went off signalling it was time to get up for school, I struggled to leave my soft bed. Truth be told, I'd never been much of a morning person, but as the sound of knocking came to the door, I knew I had little choice in the matter._

_ "Time to wake up pumpkin," came the voice. As I groaned and rolled over in bed, the knocking grew louder until I grudgingly rolled out of bed, falling on the floor as I did. Slowly, I started getting my things ready to go, resisting the urge to shoot a rock at the individual responsible for waking me up._

_ As I waded down the stairs, various servants paraded into the foyer, offering to make me breakfast, brush my hair, or even apply make-up (which was ridiculous, no ten year old needed to wear make-up). As I sat over breakfast, I nearly fell into my cereal bowl on several occasions only to have servants shout in my ear to force me to stay awake. Eventually, I finally made out the door and began my walk to school. On the way, I caught up with friends, laughing about events the previous day or gossiping about rumours going around the school._

_ After school, I would go to volleyball practice for a couple hours before walking back home with some of my friends from the team. As I returned home, I was greeted enthusiastically by several maids who offered to carry in my bags for me and asked me what I wanted for dinner. Afterward, I would watch some tv, retire to read in my room for a while, and write an entry in my diary before calling it a night and repeating the same thing over again the next day._

_ The casual observer may notice the certain absence of any parental unit from this recount of my day. My father was always extremely busy and had little time. He was the mayor of the town, and so would spend tireless hours in his office running the town. Ever since my mother had passed three years prior, I had noticed him spending an increasingly large percentage of his time in the office. Truth be told, I wasn't really saddened by my father's absence all that much. When he was around, he always overburdened me, always making sure I had a servant around to help me with every little task and keep an eye on me._

_My father had his reasons of course. Three years ago, my mother had been taken captive by some bandits who had learned that she had the ability to move the earth. Intrigued by her impressive powers, the bandits had been determined to kidnap her and force her to teach them how to use this power. When they became frustrated by their inability to learn the power (since superpowers were inherited and could not be taught), they slit my mother's throat._

_When my father had learned that my mother had been taken captive, he rushed to try to save her, sending the entire town police force to apprehend the bandits. He was devastated when he discovered he had not made it in time, and my mother had already been killed. My father blamed himself, saying that if he had known earlier and used more urgency that he could have saved her. He searched tirelessly to this day to find the culprits, but never found out anything more than that one of the men wore a half flesh-colored, half black mask._

_Unable to make peace with what had happened, my father's paranoia escalated as he became determined to "save me" from the same fate. He kept me isolated in our mansion after school, unable to go out and see my friends or go out into public without a servant accompanying me. He forbade me from using my powers, believing they were too dangerous to control and if I used them, I might suffer the same fate as my mother. Because of this, the highlight of my day became when I was at school. When I was at school, I could be the normal kid I never could be at home. No servants constantly watching over me. No overbearing father constantly trying to shelter me. Just me and my friends, gossiping and laughing together._

_Things only got worse three years later. I snuck out one afternoon as I had done so often to go spend time with one of my friends. Once we were sure none of our family's servants had followed, we snuck out to the park to be alone and swing on the swing set like normal girls. And you know the rest. After the accident, her parents blamed me, and my father, determined to protect his daughter from the outrage of the town, locked me away in the mansion. I was no longer allowed to go to school, to have friends, or to associate with anyone other than my father or our servants. My father hired a psychologist to see me and "help" me with my instability. My powers became a "disease" my father wished to cure me of, as he told me it was all in my head and the psychologist could help me get better._

_I couldn't take this lifestyle anymore. I was overwhelmed with guilt for what I had done, and as my father's attempts to help me continued to make me feel all the more guilty, I realized I had to escape. One night, I snuck out of the mansion through a window, and just took off running. I didn't know where I was running to, but I kept going as fast as my legs could carry me. Perhaps I was paranoid from everything that happened, but everywhere I went I felt like someone was watching me. _

_Due to my fear of being found and taken back into the personal hell I had now been living in for so many years, I never stayed in one place for very long. I just kept running. Despite the fact that I had never learned to control my powers due to my father forbidding me to use them, I never told anyone. If I did, I was afraid they would try to "help" me just as my father had, seeing my powers as a disease I needed to be cured of. _

_Even though they had caused me so much pain and heartache, my powers were all I had left of my mother. I knew that my mother had learned to control her powers, so I began to seek out someone who could teach me control. With control, perhaps I could use my powers for good and take down the men who had killed my mother. Still, no matter where I went, I could never find anyone who I trusted to train me. No one seemed to understand me. So, I learned to live as a nomad and just kept running. Running from my past, in hopes that one day I could find a teacher._


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4- Aftershock

"You've had your doubts in the past, but I sense that has changed now. You belong to me now, don't you?"

"I do."

"Will you obey my every command without question?"

"I will."

With this confirmation, Slade handed me what appeared to be some sort of jumpsuit. When I looked at him to confirm his intentions, he continued. "Will you fight by my side forever?"

"I will." And with that he gave me a nod of approval as I began to pull on the jumpsuit. It was reinforced with padding, almost like a battle suit. It was light grey in color, save for the darker grey pads that protected my joints. There was a headset as well, presumably intended to have Slade on the other end should I ever need to contact him.

As I finished putting on the suit, Slade analysed me as if he were checking the suit for the smallest of potential weak points. He then handed me a symbol with an S on it. After a long pause, he addressed me once more. "And will you destroy the Teen Titans?"

I smiled sinisterly as I fastened the symbol to my chest. "I thought you'd never ask."

…

A month had passed now since that fateful day at the carnival. Slade had now officially dubbed me his apprentice and had been sending me on missions to accomplish our overall goal: the complete takeover of first Jump City, and then the world. Many would die, and those that didn't would be slaves, forced to serve Slade's will as he slowly moved his pieces into place so he could become ruler of the world.

Admittedly, none of this excited me at first. I was a directionless, torn, and broken soul so emotionally devastated that I had nowhere else to go. After everything I had done, I could never return to the Titans, and I feared that anywhere I ran to, Slade would find me just as he had before. In my state, I made a perfect puppet for Slade to pull the strings, as he sent me on missions to steal supplies he needed to get his plan into motion. I began performing these tasks as nothing more than an empty, obedient servant doing as they were told, but as time went on, I began to feel a love for the thrill. I felt more alive than I ever had before, and I felt like I finally had a real purpose. I laughed at how helpless and innocent I had been before, coming to think of this as weakness.

And so, now the pieces were in place and it was time to begin phase one of the plan. "We have two objectives we must accomplish before we are fully ready to set the plan in motion my apprentice," Slade instructed from his study. He had set up a game board with ten pieces. This was hardly the first time we had used the board, so I already knew the purpose of each piece. One, the pawn, represented Slade's drone army. Another, the king, represented Slade himself. There was another for me, his apprentice, and another three represented Cinderblock, Plasmus, and Overload. Lastly, one piece each for the five Teen Titans.

"First, we need more manpower to support our ground forces. In order to accomplish this, we will need to free Plasmus, Cinderblock, and Overload and implant them with these three chips to make them submit to my command." He threw down three chips on the table. "Once this is done, it will make the second part of this much easier." He gave me a sideways glance as he said this. "I'm sure you already know what that is, don't you?"

"Take down the Teen Tians one by one," I responded with a smile.

Slade gave me a nod of approval. "Indeed. Now, we have discussed at length each of the Titans' weaknesses. Let's go through them one by one to make sure you are ready to exploit them."

I held up a hand to count them off as I went through. "Raven has a poor handle on her emotions and becomes much more vulnerable when she loses control. She has a considerable tolerance, but will break if pushed too far."

"Excellent," Slade confirmed. "When pushed over the edge she will fly right off the handle."

I counter off a second finger. "Starfire is gullible and easy to fool. She's too kind for her own good and will hold back against a former friend not wanting to hurt them."

"Very good," Slade affirmed again. "She is too quick to see the best in people and will leave herself open to you if she worries that you are harmed."

I smiled at the thought. She would be the easiest of them all. "Cyborg is limited by his dependency on electronics," I continued. "All of his gadgets have limits that can be exploited."

"Exploiting someone who is well aware of their limitations will not be easy, but is the correct course nonetheless." Slade crossed his hands and glanced momentarily at the cogs turning up above. "What about their leader? Robin is perhaps the most skilled fighter of all of them. Bringing him down will not be easy."

I returned Slade's question with a look of confidence. "Robin has two potential flaws. First, he loves Starfire and will be weakened if he knows she is harmed. And second, he has a strong desire to 'save' people. He will try to win me over and will hold back thinking he could be successful."

"You have studied well my apprentice. To know your opponent's weakness and how to exploit them is to know how to beat them. How about Beast Boy?"

Slade's look made this question almost seem like a test. Perhaps he didn't fully realize my desire to bring him down above all the others. "I have a plan for Beast Boy."

"Based on your confidence, I'll trust you to make the right plan of action. Very good then, Terra. You know the plan. We make our move at dawn."

I walked out of the study brimming with confidence. I had been in the tower, and knew every one of the Titans well enough to know all their strengths, weaknesses, abilities… I was going to be unlike any opponent they had ever faced.

…

One by one I set them all free. Cinderblock. Plasmus. Overload. All of them were released and implanted with Slade's control chip, submitting them to his command. We had the makings of an army and we were finally ready to exact revenge on this pathetic city.

"Now remember," a voice came from my earpiece, "the Titans will be easier to fight if we can separate them. Word will have reached them of the breakouts of three dangerous enemies. If we deploy them each to separate locations at the same time, it will force them to split up."

"Roger that," I responded. I had been patrolling the town on my rock, keeping an eye out for the Titans. I had been keeping to the shadows in hopes of avoiding detection. The element of surprise was critical if I was to be successful.

I deployed our three monsters, all under the guise of a heist. I followed Overload first, heading to an abandoned factory rumoured to contain precious metals. As I had hoped, the Titans took the bait. Watching from the rafters above, I watched as Raven discovered Overload searching for the valuables and attempted to stop him. Ever resourceful, Raven used her powers to burst open some pipes and flood the room. Overload, being weak against water, quickly short-circuited and was defeated.

Raven briefly caught her breath while the room continued to fill. By now the water was up to her knees, and it was the perfect time to strike. I sent a rock hurtling down at her, which she seemed to sense coming and dodged relatively easily. She glanced up at the rafters and shouted angrily.

"Terra!" Hearing my name called, I revealed myself from the rafters and floated down to meet her in the pool. "I knew you were responsible for all of this, traitor!"

Our reunion felt like a long awaited rematch of two bitter rivals. Of all the Titans, she was the one that had never wanted to trust me, and had always taken any chance she could to cast doubt on my control. I was going to enjoy this.

"Hi Rae, don't pretend you didn't miss me!"

Raven growled back at me. "I always knew you were a traitor! I always knew we couldn't trust you!" With that she sent several rays of dark energy at me, which I quickly blocked by using some rocks to form a shield.

"You always knew, and yet you did nothing," I mocked. I sent several boulders her way which she was able to block with her forcefield. Despite this, I not only felt her starting to wear down, but I also started to notice signs she was beginning to get angry. My plan was working perfectly.

"I couldn't do anything. You had the others bought into your little charade. Especially Beast Boy."

I couldn't help but snicker a bit at the bitterness of this comment. "You know Raven, I never liked you."

"And I never liked you! Or trusted you!"

I shook my head at her condescendingly. "Raven, Beast Boy told me all about your little temper tantrums. Not going to get angry, are you Rae?"

Raven seemed to take a moment to collect herself. "Anger is pointless."

"_Anger is pointless_," I said in a mocking voice while imitating her talking with my hand. "Tell me Rae, what hurt most, the fact that I betrayed your pathetic team, or that you actually thought that I was your friend?"

With this comment, Raven began to look visibly on edge. She was still hanging on to her control, but only by a thread. "Why would we even want you on our team?" Raven shot back. "You never could control your powers." She gestured to the rock I had thrown. "Even now, you can't even crush me with a boulder!"

Crushing her had never been my intention though. As the rock had fallen into the flooding room, it had begun to dissolve into the water and created a pool of mud. From Slade's training, I had learned how to control the earth in mud, and so was able to bend it to my will. I began to wrap the mud around Raven and pull her back into the puddle. I knew that it would take real distress to cause her to fully lose control.

"I'm going to enjoy this. Finally, pay back for all the angry looks you shot me when I was just trying to fit in. And all the times you told the others not to trust me." Raven sunk lower into the mud and began to look distressed.

"Trust is something you earn!" Raven cried out desperately.

"Oh? And I bet you'd know about that wouldn't you Rae? You've spent all these long years trying to prove you deserve the trust of the other Titans even though your father is an evil demon." Complete shock flushed Raven's face, unsure how I had even come across this knowledge. Of course, Slade had prepped me with all of the tools he had to use, and he seemed to know everything about all five of the Titans. "And all this time, while I was trying to earn your trust, you were trying to earn mine too, weren't you Rae?"

Now Raven looked fully agitated. Her eyes had turned red, but she wasn't quite in her full demonic form yet. She had mustered enough power to prevent herself from sinking any deeper into the mud tomb I had intended to bury her in. "You're a liar!" Raven screamed at me.

"Really?" I was beaming. Emotionally torturing Raven seemed almost like scratching an itch for me. "Somehow I think you believe me." I contemplated things a bit before I finally decided it was time to play my final trump card. There were still four more Titans to eliminate. "If only Beast Boy could see us now, I wonder who he would side with?"

Raven once again was blind-sided by this, so much so that she reverted to her natural form and collapsed onto her knees. I seized the moment and pressed on as I began to walk toward her. "It must have hurt seeing him with me. I wonder who you blamed more for things, me for wanting to be with him, or yourself for never finding the courage to admit your true feelings?"

Raven was finally pushed over the edge. She fully transformed into her demonic form and jumped at me. "I trusted you! We all did! And then you betrayed us and treated us like dirt!" I let her take her swings and shoot things at me while I shaped the mud behind her into the shape of a hand. "You ruined everything! He chose you and you still broke his heart!"

She took one final lunge at me, and when she did, I used my powers to grab her from behind with the mud hand. She had quite a bit of strength considering she was fuelled by rage, but little by little she slipped inch by inch down toward the mud. "Now who's in control?" I asked mockingly as she slipped further down into the mud tomb. Her strength spent, she returned to her normal form as her nose and mouth began to slip beneath the mud. She gave one last frantic cough before she disappeared beneath the mud and fell silent.

…

Next up, I found Cinderblock battling Robin and Starfire in some sort of arena. I looked around, scoping the area out to form a plan of action. Nearby, a high cliff rose up above the waters of the bay, standing at least 150 feet above the rocks below. That would be perfect!

Robin and Starfire had pinned Cinderblock beneath some building materials, and it appeared for the moment he had been incapacitated. I flew into the shadows nearby where I could not be seen and overhead their conversation.

"Robin, are you hurt?" Starfire looked at Robin, clearly visibly worried for her "friend."

"I'm alright Starfire, thanks." He looked down at Cinderblock, pinned and unconscious. Attached to him was Slade's chip in plain sight. "Slade!" Robin's eyes narrowed. "I figured he was behind this…"

"But how could Slade have freed Cinderblock, Overload, and Plasmus all on his own?" Starfire and Robin both looked unsure at this.

"He must've had help," Robin concluded. "And I'm worried I know who."

Starfire gasped. "You don't mean…?"

Sensing an opportune moment, I crushed a large pile of boulders atop the nearby hill with my powers. Doing so generated a loud crashing noise, sending a cloud of dust into the air that could've been seen from a mile away.

"What was that?" Robin asked cautiously. He pointed to the hilltop, causing the same concern to creep back onto Starfire's face. As she went to investigate, I quietly followed, being sure to keep out of sight. When she neared the hilltop, I slipped into the dust and laid on the ground.

As the dust began to settle, I heard Starfire gasp as I came into focus. The alien girl hovered down to me and through the cracks of my eyes I saw her eyes had teared up. "Friend Terra, please be alright!" She tapped my shoulder as I pretended to be limp as a ragdoll. "Who knows what awful things Slade has done to her?"

As if on que, I suddenly opened my eyes and began to cast my power below us. "You always were easy to fool." And with that, I sent Starfire airborne with a blast from a rock spear. The force was sufficient enough to momentarily render the alien girl paralyzed and unable to save herself from the fall.

As she began her rapid descent down into the rocks below, Robin cried out to her with all his might, seemingly having witnessed the whole thing. I pulled myself onto a rock and soared off to my next destination, laughing as I flew through the night sky.

…

Slade had given me orders to eliminate Robin last, intending for the murder of his fellow teammates to weaken and demoralize him. Slade seemed convinced that even I was no match for Robin at full strength, and in order to bring him down, it was necessary to weaken him first. I had also become convinced that Slade wanted to prolong the pain of his fiercest rival, forcing him to watch each of his friends fall before he finally met his slow and painful end.

So with that, I headed off toward where we had deployed Plasmus. The vile creature had disobeyed orders and gone off to a toxic waste facility. I watched as Plasmus devoured barrel after barrel of radioactive waste, being sure to keep out of sight. The barrels disturbingly seemed to provide a sort of fuel to the monster, allowing him to grow in size.

Several barrels in, Plasmus's feast was interrupted by Cyborg and Beast Boy, who had managed to track him down. The three fought back and forth for a while, with Plasmus shooting waste at the teammates while Cyborg tried to shoot him with laser beams and Beast Boy charged at him. Plasmus certainly wasn't the brightest of creatures and was inevitably bested by the superior teamwork of his foes. Beast Boy was able to gain Plasmus's attention by running around him in the shape of a rodent, allowing Cyborg an open view for a shot. As Plasmus took the full brunt of the laser, he stupidly opened his mouth and allowed the laser to cause him to implode, sending what appeared to be a green goo everywhere.

"Eew! What is this shit?!" Beast Boy had taken the brunt of it since he had been right next to Plasmus. He tried to shapeshift into a dog and lick himself clean, but upon tasting the goo, he promptly transformed back. "Plasmus is so gross!"

Cyborg looked at him squirming and couldn't help but laugh a little under his breath. The humour was short lived though, as they quickly remembered why they were there. "Go clean yourself up BB. I want to see if we can use Slade's control device to triangulate his position."

Beast Boy, who had no head for technology in the slightest, returned a blank stare before eventually catching on. "I'll leave you to your geeky gadgets then." He dismissed him with a wave and went to go search the facility for some water to clean himself off with.

The situation could not have played out any better. The two had separated, and Cyborg was distracted trying to use his gadgets to find Slade. Perfect! I put my hands on the ground and focused all of my energy outward toward Cyborg. As the ground began to shake in response, Cyborg's instruments began to go off, causing him to abruptly halt his work on the control device. He was far too late though. The ground beneath him began to split apart, sending him down into the void below. As he fell, he extended a hand to grab a small shelf of rock along the edge of the newly created ravine. He was just barely able to get a scream off for help before I closed the ravine above him, trapping him below.

Within a few moments, Beast Boy came running over, apparently having heard his friend's cry for help. He searched around everywhere calling out for Cyborg, but could not find him. I saw him try to reach his team on his communicator, but it seemed that the battle with Plasmus had damaged it, causing it to only return static. In a manner extremely uncharacteristic of him, Beast Boy seemed to resign himself, looking hopeless and unsure what to do. He had absolutely no one by his side; no one to come to his aid. He was alone.

I felt my resolve soften. Seeing Beast Boy helpless and alone made me want to run to him. What was I doing? Could I really kill someone who had been nothing but kind to me? Someone who I shared so many special moments with, had always been by my side, and who was perhaps the only person who ever seemed to understand me? Someone who truly loved me for who I am?

A voice echoed my doubts in my head. To this day, I can't be completely sure if the voice was coming from the earpiece I wore or from my own subconscious. "He never really loved you," the voice reminded me. "As soon as he found out what was wrong with you, he turned on you just like the others. He shared your secret with his entire team. He turned his back on you when he found out what you did. You can't trust him. You can't trust anyone. Despite your best efforts, anyone who you got close to you shunned you or ended up getting hurt." I involuntarily flashed back to that moment in the mirror maze where Beast Boy found out the truth and turned away from me. "You will always be the villain in his eyes. Why do you keep trying to fight it?"

A tear rolled down my cheek as I closed my eyes, resigned myself to do what I knew I had to, and began to walk toward him. As my footsteps approached, Beast Boy first seemed to daze into space, scarcely able to believe who he sensed approaching. Then finally, he turned to me as I approached from the shadows. "Why are you doing this Terra?" His eyes were glistening.

"…Because I have to." I gave an honest answer, but didn't waver in my determination. "But I'm here to break it to ya, so listen up!" I looked him in the face and mustered all the fake confidence I had. "We're through, and I mean for good. You honestly thought you were good enough for me? Who could love a green colored man with part animal DNA? Get a grip Garf!"

Beast Boy backed away stunned. Not only had I named off all of his fears, but I also dropped his real name on him, something few ever did. "You don't mean that!"

"Oh, but I do!" I went on. "I only indulged you so that I could lore you away from your pathetic friends. Just like I am now!" I pointed to the area where Cyborg had been trapped. Garf ran over there frantically, calling out to his friend.

"Beast Boy!" A shout came back, muffled by the ground between them. "Help me Beast Boy! I can't hang on much longer!"

Garf turned to me. "Terra, you can stop all of this now! You have to open the ground up and help me get Cyborg up here safely. It's not too late!"

I looked at him for a moment before answering. "You're right, I could do that." My eyes lit up as the ground beneath us began to shake. "But you're also wrong, it is too late. Besides, I never liked you or your pathetic friends!" The ground continued to shake harder and harder until a ledge was heard breaking below. A muffled sound of screaming was heard as my target fell into the void below.

"Cyborg!" Garf turned to me one more time in desperation as the ground around us began to crack. I knew Garf no longer possessed the will he needed to transform, and so he was nothing more than a sitting duck at this point. I pulled myself onto a rock platform, and watched him from just above. "Terra, you can't!"

"Watch me." With a wave of my hand the ground below him broke apart, revealing the void below. Garf was now hanging on to the side with one hand, desperately trying to keep himself from joining his friend in the darkness below. I got off the platform and stood right next to him on the ledge. "I hope you weren't expecting a goodbye kiss."

Garf and I had a moment of intense eye contact. I felt him pleading with me, and worried he saw through me, seeing my inner weakness. My reluctance. My desperation. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to look into his anymore as I began to close the earth above him. He made one final call to me in desperation. "…Terra!" And with that, the ground closed and I heard no more.

…

Slade was in his headquarters watching film of my four victories over the Titans. "Very impressive, my dear," he complimented me over my headset. "I especially liked the personal touch you gave Beast Boy. But our job is not over yet."

"I know," I replied. "Four Titans down, one more to go." And then I could finally rest. I'm not sure what came next after that. I guess with the Titans gone, Slade would rule the world, and then use me as the leader of his army. Who knows what tasks he would have in store for me at that point… I was kidding myself. I would never be able to rest. So long as I owed my life to Slade, there would always be another mission.

I heard a faint motor. As I turned toward the source, I noticed the noise getting louder and louder, as if it was approaching. As I looked around, I heard a sudden whizzing noise. A motorcycle had flown over me, carrying the final of my five targets. Robin had finally found me.

Almost without warning, Robin jumped off his cycle and began barraging me with his steel rod. I was a little shocked at the urgency of his attacks, thinking that he would hold back planning to save me. He kept attacking me, forcing me to back into a fence. He began to slow his attacks, presumably having only been wanting to get me pinned against a wall. "I promised Beast Boy I would give you one last chance, and this is it."

I was getting thrashed! Despite my new combat abilities, Robin seemed to be continually one step ahead of me. Even when I used my powers, he was able to dodge the rocks I threw at him with ease. "You've got to weaken his resolve Terra!" came a familiar voice over my earpiece. Remember what you just did to his team!"

I glared at Robin and mustered all of my confidence. "What's the matter Robin, are you sad that I annihilated your pathetic friends?"

Robin almost seemed to laugh a little, finding my statement completely ridiculous. "They were your friends too Terra. And now, Slade's manipulation has turned you into something you never thought you'd become."

"I'm not being manipulated!" I screamed back at him.

"Terra, I know he's scared you, made you believe there's no way out, but there is. It's never too late!"

"What would you know about it?"

"I was Slade's apprentice too. I know exactly how you're feeling, scared, trapped, hurt. But I got out, and so can you."

I felt myself starting to wear down, and my feet slipped a little. Robin took full advantage and pushed me off my feet with his rod. I fell face-first into the ground, eating large quantities of dirt in the process. Robin did not let up though, and grabbed me by the arm and flung me into the fence. "Look at yourself Terra!" he screamed at me. "Look at what your own fears have turned you into! You hurt your friends, and even someone you loved. Is this what you want? Is this what you want to be?!"

The questions he was asking seemed vaguely familiar. Far too familiar. "What do you know about me?"

Robin's tone softened a bit. "I just want what's best for you. I'm here to help you Terra."

With that response, a million memories resurfaced in my mind. Flashbacks of my oppressive father, not letting me out of the house. Always saying he was there to help me and save me. Memories of the Psychologists, telling me that I needed help and then could make things better. These were repressed memories, and as they came to the surface, all the repressed pain and anger came along with them.

I turned away from the fence and toward Robin with a strength and determination that had been missing until then. I felt rage flowing through me as I began to advance toward him, causing him to retreat in shock. "I'm not some helpless little girl who needs saving! I made my own choices." An aura of yellow light surrounded me, as I felt power running through me unlike any I had ever experienced. "I chose to join with Slade. I chose to give him access to your tower. And I chose to annihilate your pathetic friends!" I grabbed him and help him by the collar, using strength I never knew I had.

Where was this strength coming from? I was far too small and too weak to physically pick up someone Robin's size, especially as easily as I just had. How was I doing this? "You're not," came a voice in my ear. I was shocked as I realized Slade had been able to read my thoughts. "Your suit comes with certain… extra abilities," Slade assured me. "I can assist you in fights and give you some of my own power. That way, you're stronger than you ever would be alone. We can finish this fight together!"

And with that, Slade helped me open another hole in the ground, and toss Robin in at a speed that stunned him and kept him from being able to escape. "I guess you're the one who's in need of help now," I taunted as he disappeared into the darkness below.

I couldn't believe how much power Slade's suit had given me. It was like I had been on a whole other level of fighting ability. "The suit feeds off of your rage," Slade confirmed. When you feel that emotion, the suit enhances it, driving you to superhuman ability levels. In short, it brings you closer to me and makes it easier for me to assist you." I looked at my gloves and suit seemingly in disbelief. If I could beat Robin, what else was I capable of?

"We've successfully annihilated the Titans," I reported. "We are now clear to proceed to the next phase of the plan."

"Indeed we are," Slade confirmed. "Return back to headquarters, and we will begin our conquering of Jump City. It should be much simpler now that there are none who can stop us."

"Roger that." I pulled myself on another rock and began to prepare to fly back to headquarters. Before I did, I stared down at the area where I had tossed Robin. His R badge that he wore was lying on the ground. I flew down and picked it up. It seemed that there was no turning back now. For better or worse, it was now my destiny to see this through to the end…


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5- The 6th Titan

My name is Terra, and I have done horrible things.

Fear. Disbelief. Despair.

These were the emotions on the faces of the people of Jump City as I led an army to conquer and ravage the city in the name of a dark master named Slade. The entire city cowered into their homes, offering no measure of resistance to our might. Block by block, square by square, the city submitted to my control.

Confusion. Pain. Betrayal.

These were the feelings I witnessed as I exterminated five people I thought to be my closest friends. I watched as they fell one by one into the void below, never to surface again. And I felt nothing. I was now an empty shell, no longer capable of feeling. I did as my master commanded, without question, without any regard to the consequences. I swore to serve him, and I knew nothing else.

There were occasional moments of weakness. As I strolled through the city, completely empty and devoid of any signs of life, I remembered some of the time I had spent here. As I passed a run down pizza place, with the doors and windows smashed in and the entire building caving in, I remembered eating lunch there with the Titans, and having a pizza eating contest with the robot. Somehow, I no longer seemed to be able to remember his name. I would have similar memories, including going to shops with that strange alien, going to the market with the masked one, and even going to a poetry slam with the weird cloaked one who always pretended to hate everything.

I stopped at the apocalyptic remains of a city park. Somehow, one memory seemed stronger than the others. I remember walking here with Beast Boy, as he told me jokes and picked me flowers. If I ever got mad at him, he would turn himself into a dog and give me puppy dog eyes or lick me until I finally gave in. We must've had a dozen picnics under the stars, since he knew how much I loved it. Why was it that I could remember his name, and not the others? And why were these memories clearer than the others?

Still, they were nothing more than memories. All of that was in the past. Now, my only drive, my only purpose, was to serve the dark master Slade. Under my command, we had brought an entire city to its knees, washed away the past, and exterminated anyone who stood in our way. This city was the first of many, and very soon we would reign over the whole world, with Slade as the puppet master, and I as the puppet. I had not only resigned myself to this fate, but embraced it, seeing no other place for myself in this world.

My name is Terra. I have done horrible things, and I have absolutely no regrets.

…

"Sector C is secure," I reported. My patrol through the city had become a daily routine. We had scoured the entire city in an attempt to recover the corpses of the Titans, but to no avail. Until they were located and properly identified, we were unable to move on to the next stage of our conquest. The entire city was deserted. Any survivors had been given to Slade as slaves, to do as he deemed fit. As a result, the city seemed like it had had a bomb dropped on it. It was as if you could drop a pen cap in the middle of the busiest city block and hear it hit the sidewalk.

"It sure is quiet around here."

"Get used to it my dear, this city is the first of many." I could almost detect a rare hint of excitement in Slade's voice that his plans were finally becoming a reality.

"I know." I continued my patrol through the financial district. It had been 2 months since the attack, and already tumbleweeds had blown into town and were blowing around. Squirrels were running between office buildings and birds had begun to nest on the roofs. "Sector B is also secure. No sign of them anywhere." It had been so long now, there was no way they could have survived all this time without us detecting them. Slade didn't even seem to care I didn't recover the bodies when I did the job, he just was thrilled to be rid of them.

As I approached the portion of the city we designated "Sector A," the final portion of my patrol for the day, I heard crows scatter from a building across the street and squawk as they flew in separate directions. Somehow that seemed odd to me. Birds almost never did anything more than sit there and watch me as I walked by. As they scattered, one of the birds flew very close to me. It was flying at a great speed, but it was close enough that I could just get a glimpse of it as it passed. As it did, I gasped as I realized these were not crows at all.

"Ravens!" I put my guard up. Sure enough, these were no ordinary ravens either. The birds were pitch black with beady, evil red eyes. When the bird flew off into the distance, a fog began to flood into the street, lowering visibility until I could barely see the hands in front of my face. Out of the veil I saw five dark outlines surround me as I fell to the ground in shock.

"No, it can't be! I destroyed you!" I shot rocks at them, but all of them avoided my attack effortlessly. Almost instantly, they shot back with a barrage of attacks. I felt myself get hit with a variety of lasers, starbolts, and black energy, throwing me off balance enough to stumble into another array of physical attacks. I felt a steel rod ram into me with enough force to crack my ribs before I was knocked down with some sort of mechanical weapon, and then thrown across the block by the horns of a ram.

"Wait… guys!" I cried out in desperation. "Can't we at least talk?" The figures advanced to encircle me again, but did not strike. I clenched my teeth, sensing there was no way to escape. I turned to the only one who might listen. "Beast Boy, please, let's just talk about this!"

"There's nothing left to say," he responded coldly.

"But I…"

"You tried to eliminate us!" the alien added in a voice much angrier than I'd ever heard before.

"There's no getting past it, you're just another criminal now," came the cool, calculated voice of the robot.

The memories I kept trying to surface. I had been tied very closely to these five once, but now I couldn't even remember most of their names. Why was that? I knew they were the Teen Titans, but every other memory was hazy. It was my mission to eliminate them, and I had to do it. That was my purpose now. I tried to fire back again, but my head was spinning and my concentration was waning. I fell to the ground as once again I got pummelled. I grunted as I was kicked, punched, slammed with weapons, attacked with throwing disks, claws, and all sorts of beams of light of nearly every color. I collapsed, prone on the ground, barely able to move.

"…Slade, help me," I begged weakly over my headset.

"Dear child, you need only ask." As he said that, I felt power rushing into me as I rediscovered my strength. With Slade's help, I unleashed a wall of rocks in all directions, knocking my foes back. I was still panting and in excruciating pain from the beating I just took, but I was able to muster the will to charge out after them on a rock I summoned. As I did, I was blindsided by a green monkey, pushing me off my rock and back onto the ground. I felt Slade's strength assist me again as I summoned a beam of yellow energy around me, pushing Beast Boy back. No sooner had I done so though than another bolt of energy came flying at me from behind, hitting me square in the back. Their teamwork was no match for me. I needed reinforcements.

"Slade help!" I called again. "I can't do this alone, they're too strong."

"Not to worry Terra, you are never alone." And with that, Cinderblock, Plasmus, and Overload appeared from the mist. The Titan's attention seemed to shift to them for a moment, but without so much as a word they scattered into the veil again. I looked around, trying desperately to locate them, but once again I was pummelled from behind by the steel bar of the masked one.

"Stand and fight Terra!" I heard Slade order over the headset. "Your suit allows me to assist you in combat, but only if you fight!"

Answering my master's call, I turned toward the Titans leader and unleashed a blast of energy, sending him into the air and delivering a shockwave through the square. The leader was able to spin in the air and land on his feet, but the shockwave caused him to stagger. I charged in after him, sensing my advantage, but was again blindsided, this time by a green starbolt. I was bleeding considerably from all of the blows I had taken, and I was now seeing double and in a complete daze. The two seemed to be preparing for one final charge at me. It struck me how none of them were holding back and seemed to be coming at me with everything they had.

Then, perhaps as an order to protect me, Plasmus let out a loud growl, causing Overload and Cinderblock to move towards him. As they did, they jumped on top of each other, forming what appeared to be some sort of merged monster. Over the combined creatures roar, I heard Beast Boy comment, "And I thought they were ugly before!" All of the Titans now turned to the creature, focusing all of their efforts on it, seemingly saving the beaten, defeated foe to be dealt with later. I sensed this opportunity and slowly crawled away into the shadows. They seemed to not even notice my escape, although at the very last second before I disappeared from view, I thought I saw one of them turn toward me, though I was too dazed to tell for sure.

…

I'm not sure how, but somehow I eventually found the strength to get to my feet. Every step hurt terribly, and my head pounded like I had never experienced in my life. Finally, I made it down the stairs to headquarters, where I saw Slade standing in the machine room, facing away from me with his hands folded behind his back.

"Slade!" I panted as I approached. He didn't even seem to move at the mention of his name. "Oh man, thank heavens I made it back! I was getting thrashed! I thought they were…"

I was interrupted by a sudden blow to the face. I staggered backward as I realized Slade had turned around and struck me. "You disobeyed my direct order. I told you to stand and fight, and you ran."

"I couldn't," I argued urgently. "They were hammering me with every weapon they had! They came at me out of the mist where I couldn't even see them and…"

"What they did is nothing compared to what I'm about to do to you," Slade countered sinisterly. "If they were able to scare you, then I will need to show you true fear so you will never run again."

Slade pushed me to the ground and began to hold me down as he got on top of me. He was holding every joint in my body with so much force that I was unable to move a muscle. "You'll find struggling rather useless. I built your suit after all. I know all of its weak points"

I squirmed and groaned, pushing back with all my might. "You can't do this to me! You can't treat me like this!"

"Enough! I will teach you your place. You serve me, and me only. Whatever my command, you WILL obey. As he began to reach down, a rush of green came flying at him from the stairs. A green wolf had run down the stairs and charged him, knocking Slade off of me and allowing me to get back up.

"Leave Terra alone!" cried the wolf as it changed back into its humanoid form. It was Garf! He had come after me despite all I had done to him and his friends.

"Apprentice, attack him!" Slade ordered.

Rage swelled up in me as I remembered what he had just attempted to do to me despite all I had done for him. All just to put me in my place. "No! I'm sick of fighting, and I'm sick of you!" I began to pull at my suit, trying as hard as I could to remove it, but no matter how hard I pulled, the suit wouldn't budge an inch.

For one of the few times I can remember, perhaps the only time, I heard Slade laugh hysterically. "You'll find that rather impossible my dear," he taunted. "When you put on that suit, you promised to serve me forever, and that's a promise I intend to make you keep."

I continued to struggle for some time, but eventually lost heart. Slade was right. No matter what I did, the suit would not come off. I was his puppet forever, no matter what I tried to do. A fitting punishment for all of the things I had done. Now, here I remained for the rest of my life. With no other goal other than to serve my master.

"You have to fight it Terra!" My eyes opened wide with shock as I heard Garf's words of encouragement. "It's your power, not his!"

"It's too late for me Beast Boy. I've become just another tool for him to use in his game."

"You'll always be more than that to me! You're Terra, you're the strongest girl I know. Fight it!"

"I've heard enough," Slade intervened. "Apprentice attack!"

I didn't move a muscle. Beast Boy was right, I had to try to fight. I turned and glared at Slade, spitting at his feet in protest.

"Insolence! Very well, if you won't obey, I'll just have to force you." I felt every bone in my body moving against my will as Slade forced me to shoot a rock at Beast Boy. My entire body was forced to move toward him and fire attack after attack at him at a relentless pace. Beast Boy was doing his best to dodge, but he was clearly beginning to wear down.

"You have to stop me Beast Boy!" I warned with every ounce of strength I had.

"I can't fight you Terra," he said shaking his head.

"You have to!" I insisted. "Kill me! I don't want to be his puppet anymore!"

"Oh Terra, you'll always be my puppet," Slade taunted from afar. And with that, he regained complete control. He forced me to attack again, pursuing Beast Boy and causing him to retreat. Sensing no way out, and realizing I was going to be forced to watch as he killed Beast Boy, I succumbed back into my android-like state as I pursued Beast Boy. "That's my good little girl," Slade encouraged as he pushed me to keep attacking.

Beast Boy held up his retreat and stood to face me with his back against a cavern wall. He no longer had any plausible escape, and as I rained down a shower of rocks on him, he was pinned down by one of the larger boulders. His leg was completely immobile, and no matter what he did, he seemed unable to move.

"Perfect!" Slade suddenly released control, leaving me standing in front of Beast Boy holding a rock with full awareness. "Apprentice, it is time, finish him!"

"Stop!" A shout echoed through the entire cavern as the other four Titans broke down the door and barged in. The one with the mask charged down the stairs, with the others close behind him.

"Terra, do it!" ordered Slade.

"Don't do it," warned the Cyborg as he prepared his laser and pointed it directly at me.

"It'll be the last thing you ever do!" threatened the hooded witch.

"I gave you an order!" barked Slade. "Finish him!"

I was frozen. For so long, Slade had been pulling the strings and I had done what I had been instructed without question. What was I supposed to do now? This man, though the memories were vague, was special to me, wasn't he? Why couldn't I remember?

Beast Boy caught my eye. "It's always been your choice Terra, just as it is now."

I broke his gaze and looked at the ground. "I never had a choice…"

"That's a lie!" His tone caused me to gasp as I remade eye contact with him. "You've always had a choice! You chose to runaway, you chose to betray us. Slade was never doing this Terra, it's always been you!"

"That's not true!"

Beast Boy shook his head. "It's always been true. I know you better than he does. I know you've always been scared to trust others for fear they'd cast you out. You turned to him because you didn't think anyone else would accept you. You chose to let Slade control you, and you gave in to your fear."

Was that true? Could I have really stopped everything from happening? Was I really responsible for all of this?

"I know that the old Terra is still in there," Beast Boy continued. "The Terra who wanted to be a Teen Titan, the Terra who always idolized us and wanted to be a hero more than anything, the Terra who…" he paused, looking downcast and seemingly unable to go on.

I looked him deeply in the eyes, searching for a reason why he would go so far for me. Suddenly, it all seemed to click with me. I remembered my friends, and their names. I remembered all the time I had spent with Beast Boy. All the memories I had repressed out of guilt for what I had done. Somehow, believing that Slade had caused everything that happened had made me feel less responsible. By submitting myself to him, I thought I was just choosing the only option I had left, when in reality, it was my choice that enabled him to set his plan into motion.

"It's your choice Terra."

Those words again. Beast Boy. I had missed him so much. All this time pushing him and the others away, needlessly choosing to be on my own because I felt I couldn't trust anyone. I felt my eyes steam up and a tear roll down my cheek, but as it did, I felt new life flow through me. Despite all of the wrong choices I had made, I could make up for all of them by making the right choice now.

"I'm sorry Beast Boy, for everything I've done." And with that, I mustered all my power and shot all of the earth I could grab with my powers directly at Slade. Slade's eyes opened wide, seemingly in shock I decided to attack him. The blow landed, and Slade fell backward, rolling down the slope of the cavern. I charged after him as he finally got to his feet.

"You ungrateful little… ahh!" He groaned in pain as I shot another blast of stalactites at him. I felt my eyes start to glow as a new sense of power flowed through me. This power wasn't fuelled by my rage and hate though- it seemed to be controlled by my determination to make things right.

"You can't control me anymore!" With all my strength, I sent the whole cavern raining down on him, burying him in rock. As he tried to unbury himself, I broke apart the floor beneath him, sending him down into a pit of lava lying dormant down below. He gave one last yell as he fell before the lava consumed him. The last glimpse of him I saw was his mask slowly melting away in the lava pool.

I sank to my knees. I was exhausted and beaten down from all the fights I had been in that day, and without the power and adrenaline flowing through me, I became increasingly aware of the severity of my injuries. Multiple lacerations. Several broken bones. Extensive blood loss. And that was just to start. As I tried to get up, I felt myself begin to fall over, but I was able to put my body weight on Beast Boy as he ran over.

"Terra, are you ok?" The entire cavern was shaking violently now, and everything I saw was fuzzy. I could barely make out the concerned look on Beast Boy's face.

"Terra's power must have triggered a dormant underground volcano," Cyborg observed as he glanced at his sensors on his arm. "This thing is massive; we need to get out of here now!"

Everyone began running for the exit. Beast Boy started to help me toward the exit, but the attempt seemed futile. I could barely walk, even with his help, and at this rate we'd never make it out in time. As he tried to keep going, I tugged on him and told him to stop. "This volcano is large enough to destroy the whole city. I'm the only one who can stop it." I had been thinking that for a while. I wasn't sure if I could stop the eruption or not, but if I could, thousands of lives would be spared.

"What are you talking about Terra?" Beast Boy looked baffled. "This thing is huge, there's no way it can be stopped."

I groaned in agony. Even the effort to talk hurt me. "…with my power, I might be able to."

"Don't be crazy Terra. This thing is already erupting. It's too late!"

I smiled as I remembered one of our earlier conversations. "It's never too late."

With that, I felt new found strength once again. Despite all my injuries, I willed myself to my feet without his help. He had never given up on me. Despite everything I had said to him, everything I had done, Beast Boy had always believed in me, and believed that I could come back. He helped me learn so much about myself, and become so much more than that scared little girl who was always on the run. For the first time in my life, I wasn't scared anymore. He had saved my life, and now it was my turn to save his.

"Beast Boy… thank you for never giving up on me."

I said that with all the sincerity in my heart. It was amazing how despite everything that happened, in the gloom of this awful cavern with the lava quickly rising and preparing to destroy the city above, we could still have a moment like this. Just him and I, as it had been on the carnival ride, and at the diner, and all of those times skipping rocks outside Titans Tower. And especially the glass heart he made for me. All memories which I had forsaken, but returned to me now, here at the end of it all.

"Terra…" he stopped as I rushed over to him and hugged him with all my might, afraid that he might disappear if I let go. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I thought about all the time we lost, all the things we never did. It's cruel that our time together had been so short. But then I remembered all the good times too. In the end, it was all worth it.

"You were the best friend I ever had." I felt his hands brush through my hair as I said that. He wasn't just comforting me though. I felt him pull my bangs and clip my hair with a silver pin. I looked at him in disbelief as he smiled back at me.

"I kept it with me all this time so I could give it back when I saw you again. The real you."

In that one brief moment, I forgot about the lava, the trembles of the cavern, and the rock falling around us. I looked into his eyes for a second before I closed my eyes and kissed him. There was nothing else in that moment, just me and him. As we broke apart, I found my resolve again and used my powers to push myself off onto a rock floating above the pool of lava. As I backed away, I found his eyes one last time.

"I love you Garf."

I saw tears well up in his eyes. It seemed as though he was trying to fight it in an effort to act tough, realizing this would be our last moment together. "I'll never forget you Terra." And with that he turned away in the form of a prehistoric bird, seemingly unable to look back.

I waited until he was a safe distance away as the lava continued to rise. The whole cavern was now so full of smoke and ash that I could hardly breathe. I knew lava was made of molten rock, which meant I could control it. If I mustered all of my power, I should be able to turn the lava back into hard rock and stop the volcano. In doing so, I would finally make everything right. I had done horrible things, but I hoped in this one moment I could make amends as best as I could. I tapped in every bit of power and energy I had left in my beaten body. I felt a power running through my body more intense than anything I had experienced. With all of my will, and all of my strength, I unleashed a scream as a yellow glow engulfed the entire cavern, and everything went dark…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Things Change

A void. A dark void full of endless nothingness, isolated from the rest of the world with no concept of space or time. That's all I can recall after the events of that day. I can't recall much about that time, but I remember a few things so vaguely that I have long believed them to be daydreams. I have disconnected revelations of the struggles of a new superhero team off in the east. Of a cursed girl, told from birth that her destiny was to help her demonic father destroy the world. Was any of it real? Was I even real? My consciousness drifted in and out of time and space almost as if I were in a coma, completely disconnected from reality.

That was, until that fateful day. The entire planet seemed to rejoice as a great evil demon was defeated and cast away from the planet on the doorstep of his victory. I heard a voice in my head tell me that the time had come for me. That in my heroic efforts to save world, I had redeemed myself and earned myself a second chance. Life suddenly returned to my body. I could move my arms and legs again. I could not yet see clearly; my eyesight was blurry as if I had just been smacked on the head. My head pounded and my ears rang as my awareness slowly returned.

The next thing I remember, I was laying on the ground in a cavern. I must have collapsed from the trauma I experienced. I noticed I could see now. I could feel the air flowing through the cavern and hear the vibrations as rocks fell from the ceiling. I must have been laying there for hours, but eventually I sat up. When I did, I realized someone had been sitting there waiting for me. It was Slade! I tried to rush to my feet to face him, but pain exploded through my body, forcing me back onto the ground. I was filled with rage when I remembered what he had done to me, and even more so when I realized me injuries were so severe there was nothing I could do about it.

"Relax child. I'm not here for the reasons you think." Slade got up and walked around the cavern. He paused at the base of a shrine that had been created, now missing the statue that had been its centrepiece. He bent down and grabbed the flowers, almost inspecting them for something.

"You're lucky I can't kill you right now!" I squirmed and screamed with all my might. Suddenly, I remembered my powers, I mustered all my will to shoot a rock at him, but no matter how much I tried, the boulders around the cavern barely moved at all.

"You'll find that quite impossible actually," Slade pointed out. "You see, it seems when you were brought back by Trigon's defeat, your powers were taken away too." I kept struggling, trying as hard as I could to pierce him with even the smallest of rocks. "Oh yes, you might be able to make a boulder budge a bit, but I'm afraid you will never again be able to fully use your powers."

"Why are you here then?" I shouted at him.

"Slade smirked at me. "That is the question indeed, isn't it?" He resumed pacing the cavern. "You're of no use to me any longer without your power Terra. I no longer wish to force you to submit to my will." Slade pulled out a button and pressed it, releasing me from my suit of his armour. I felt myself shivering as I lay there in just my bra and panties. "Truth is, I tried to help Trigon in a similar role to how you helped me. And I got burned… literally. Now it's time for me to begin acting in my own interests again. But before I do, I'm going to undo what I did. I intend to act only for myself, no more apprentices, just me."

I gave him a sceptical look. "How could I believe anything you say? After everything you've done, there's no way I can trust you!"

In his usual manner, Slade stared back at me blankly as if the comment didn't phase him. After some time, he sighed and looked at me. "Terra, believe it or not, I want what's best for you. I was brought back to life by the demon lord Trigon to help him destroy the world. And I did. Not only did I do it, I enjoyed it. The power I had at my fingertips, the ability to bring the whole world to its knees…"

"You disgust me," I interrupted as I spat at his feet.

"Really Terra?" He stopped his pacing and turned and glared straight at me. "That's easy for you to say now that you've redeemed yourself, but let's not forget all the horrible things you did to make that necessary. You may not admit it, but at some level, I know you enjoyed working for me."

He paused and turned away from me, looking down the cavern with his hands folded behind his back. "When Trigon was defeated, I somehow found new life. I should have died considering it was his magic that brought me back. Yet, now that I'm here I've learned I work much better alone. And that's how it's going to stay."

He turned back toward me now. "Terra, you've been given another chance. And now it's time for you to do something with it. Something you never could do before."

I sat up, which I instantly regretted as my ribs throbbed horribly. I squinted in pain as I met his gaze. "What do you want from me? And why do you care so much what I do with my life now? It's because of me you were dead in the first place!"

Slade nodded. "Yes, that's true. Perhaps I should disappear and let you fill your life with horrible decisions as you had done before. But think about it Terra. You were given the chance to make choices before, and you chose to betray your friends and work for me. You've been given a chance very few people ever get. You can turn it all around and live a life much different than any you ever had before. You could go back to school and be a high school student just like everybody else. Your powers are nearly gone. You could finally be a normal girl, away from this world."

I couldn't find any words. I had never even considered a normal life. I'd always had these powers, and as long as I had them, I felt I had to do something with it. But it was true, no matter how hard I tried, I could barely make a rock budge now.

Sensing my deep thoughts I had become engulfed in, Slade pressed on. "You also asked me why I cared. It's time I showed you something." With that, he took his mask off, revealing a scarred face with one eye covered in an eye patch. "I really should have told you long ago, Terra. I go by Slade to you and your friends, but in my past, I was a mercenary named Deathstroke. My last assignment was by an individual who hired me to kill the Teen Titans and find his daughter and bring her to him. That man was your father."

I was in shock. So, my dad had hired Slade to eliminate the Titans and bring me home? It all fit though. It explained why Slade had taken an interest in the Titans and why he had started targeting them. It also explained why when I had appeared in Jump City, he had taken such an interest in me.

"It's a lot to take in," Slade acknowledged almost sympathetically. "Truth is your father was secretly the leader of a crime syndicate, which he used to build his fortune as a means to provide for you and your mother. Your mother was not captured by thugs on any mere whim, she was targeted because she was the wife of a syndicate leader. After her death, your father kept you sheltered so you would never get involved with the syndicate or become a target for them. Instead, he hired me to carry out missions for him to take out his rivals one by one."

"After you ran away, my mission was changed. He sent me to Jump City to oversee a group known as the HIVE he had built to expand his operations, and to use them to help eliminate the biggest threat to his operations there: the Teen Titans. In my time there, he hoped you might turn up, and if you did, I was to gain your trust so you could be brought back home. Of course, once I saw your power, I decided to abandon your father's direction and pursue my own path of conquering the world."

I fell to my knees. Everything, every word he told me, fit into place. Everything from my past, present, and future, hit me with the force of an oncoming subway train. So my father was pulling the strings for the criminal syndicate all this time. How could I not have noticed? How could I be so naïve?

Slade sighed and put his hand on my shoulder. This gesture brought my attention immediately. My feelings of alarm and suspicion returned. Could I believe a thing this man said was actually the truth?

Seemingly sensing my suspicion, Slade shook his head. "Fine don't believe me if you want. Even though you know full well everything I told you is the truth."

"And why should I believe anything you say?" I spat back.

Slade glared at me. "You really think I couldn't harm you if I wanted to Terra?" A sinister flicker appeared in his eye. "Look at yourself, laying there unable to move and barely wearing anything. If I wanted to, I could have you to myself now. Or I could kill you. Or I could kidnap you and never let you go. But I'm not going to do that" He paced the cavern again. "It's up for you to decide what you want, but if I were you, I would at least consider it. You'd never have to deal with people like me anymore. You could live a normal life just like everybody else. A life I never could."

And with that, he walked out of the cavern, seemingly leaving me there to die, unable to move and barely able to call for help. However, I saw one of his robots run over to me just before he disappeared, grab me, and carry me off. My first instinct was that he was in fact capturing me, but I soon realized the robot was carrying me somewhere else. To the hospital.

…

Time passed slowly during my time in the hospital. I had to spend many a sleepless night recovering from the pain I felt in my ribs, chest, and legs, not to mention the throbbing I felt in my head. I wasn't exactly sure what they were doing to treat me; I must've gone unconscious several times. It was a slow recovery, but eventually after work with the physical therapist I was walking on my own again. It took many weeks, but eventually I was in good enough condition to be discharged from the hospital. Upon my release, I was shocked to find my bill had been paid in full by some unknow proprietor. Perhaps despite all he had done, Slade had some amount of humanity left in him after all.

I took it upon myself to try to regain my powers. I trained for days trying to do something, anything with rocks. But despite my physical recovery, I could barely nudge a rock no matter how hard I tried. Slade's words echoed in my head, "It's up for you to decide what you want, but if I were you, I would at least consider it. You'd never have to deal with people like me anymore. You could live a normal life just like everybody else. A life I never could." It was hard to think about. Ever since I was little, I'd always wanted to be a hero, to use my powers for good. But now, after everything that had been done, I could no longer even throw a rock. I sobbed a bit as I acknowledged that I would never be able to use my powers again.

…

"Will this do then young lady?"

I was shocked back into reality as if I had been in a long trance. The landlord was looking at me expectedly with her hands on her hips. I felt obliged to answer, even though I had not been paying nearly enough attention. "Umm… yeah it's perfect. How much for the rent?"

"$300/month plus utilities. And you better not pay late! I will find you if you do!"

"Of course not ma'am!" I tried to say that as confidently and sincerely as I could, but I felt the landlord's gaze trying to pierce me to see if I would crack. After a long stare down, her face finally softened. "Wonderful! Well, move in is the first of the month and rent is due no later than the fifth. I guess I'll see you then!" As she walked out, I let out a sigh of relief.

I had been looking for a place to crash for some time. Knowing my father's criminal history and having lost my mother, I knew I couldn't return home. I had often gone to the bay and gazed out at Titan's Tower. The thought of going back frequently crossed my mind, but then I reminded myself that wasn't my place anymore. I had no superpowers or any physical abilities to speak of that could help them. And after all I had done, it was better for me to leave well enough alone and let them continue on without me.

…

I enlisted in the local school in hopes of getting my life back on track. I had no idea what I wanted to be or do now, but hopefully with enough hard work and patience, I could figure that out. Getting back into the swing of an ordinary school life was exceedingly difficult. Algebra exams were way harder than fighting crime, and considering how long it had been since I had a formal education, I was way behind everyone else. In time though, I felt myself starting to settle in and make new friends. It was weird to talk about gossipy topics like how to Geometry teacher was rumoured to be from England, or how the Chemistry teacher always seemed to have endless amounts of money, but after a while it started to feel normal again. It was almost like I was with my friend back home again, sitting on the swing and giggling.

…

One thing that never changed was my desire to seek thrills. I would often here about some giant monster attacking the city, and when I did, I would sneak off so I could scope it out. I kept my distance and hid myself considering I no longer had the ability to hold my own. Despite that though, it felt good to be near the action and see what was going on. The Titans had apparently been gone for some time now, but with Slade no longer lurking around the city, the local authorities were able to fend off most threats.

It was probably about 6 months after the start of school that I heard a rumor that the Titans had returned. Supposedly, they had been away dealing with someone named Brother Blood and had now returned to Jump City to fight crime once more. At the next sound of danger, I rushed off to see if the rumors were true. Sure enough, the Titans appeared and fought against the monster attacking downtown. I kept out of site so I wouldn't be seen but could still enjoy the show. It seemed like all of the Tians had considerably improved their skills. Even Beast Boy seemed to be using forms I had never seen from him before.

After their victory, the Titans shook hands with the mayor and flew off toward Titan's Tower, which was my que to get back to class. As I started to walk toward the school though, I was stopped by a familiar voice calling for me. "…Terra?"

I nearly froze, but knowing Beast Boy wasn't sure he could believe what he saw, I ran off and turned a corner into an alleyway. I panted as I tried to catch my breath, constantly looking behind me to make sure he didn't follow me. I didn't want to avoid Garf, but I knew that if he saw me he would try to bring me back to Titan's Tower. I couldn't go back though. This was where I belonged now, and for the first in a long time, I felt whole and complete. I was happy here.

Several weeks went by without another appearance. The experience had seemingly convinced me to stay away from trouble, at least for a while. I went to class, attended volleyball practice after school, and went home and buried myself in homework. This school was no joke, I definitely had to commit if I was going to do well enough to get into college.

However, given what happened, I figured it was only a matter of time before I saw Garf again. I was outside enjoying lunch with friends when I heard a familiar voice calling to me again. "Terra! Terra, is that you?" Garf ran over and bent down to rest his hands on his knees, panting. He must have run clear across town. His forehead and hair were soaked with sweat and his entire face was red.

"Terra, you know this guy?" asked my friend Alyssa. She was a cheerleader, and always seemed to have a heightened suspicion around boys.

I shook my head. "Sorry… you got the wrong girl."

Beast Boy gave a look of disbelief. "You mean you don't remember me?"

"Should I…?"

"I'm Beast Boy. We used to hang out together. You even thought I was funny!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Like…" Beast Boy looked around for a moment, seemingly looking for something he could use to make me remember. "I… I bet I can still make you laugh!" Beast Boy then proceeded to make the most ridiculous looking face, and I couldn't help but giggle a little. "See? I can still make you laugh!"

I felt myself smiling, but then I remembered my resolve. I had to be strong. This was where I belonged, and he belonged at Titan's Tower. "Sorry, you've just got the wrong girl."

"No! I know it's you!" he pleaded. "We used to laugh and take long walks in the park together! And there was the fair, and the time by the lake, and the…" he trailed off. I turned away from him. I couldn't show him my face any longer. I was beginning to shake and I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

"You were a Teen Titan," he pressed on. "Don't you remember?" He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. "I know what will make you remember!" he shouted suddenly excited. "Why don't we go grab some pizza at our favorite pizza place! I'll buy!"

Alyssa and my other friend Aubrie both ran up to him, throwing his arm off of me. "Get lost loser!" Alyssa shouted at him.

"Yeah!" Aubrie agreed. "Can't you see she isn't interested!"

They both got up in his face until Beast Boy finally turned away disheartened. He looked like a kicked puppy as he began to walk away broken hearted and defeated. I couldn't stand seeing him like this. "Maybe just one slice…" I replied reluctantly.

In an instant I felt my arm being tugged as he pulled me off into the street as fast as his legs would carry him. "Great! We'll order your favorite. Once you have a slice of pizza there you'll remember for sure!"

…

The pizza finally arrived, steaming hot and smelling delicious. "One supreme pizza, no mushrooms, and extra anchovies! Just the way you like it!" Beast Boy smirked triumphantly as he stood tall waiting for me to take the first bite.

I stared at the pizza. There was so much cheese that it glistened back at me, showing my reflection. As I looked back, I saw a strange girl dressed up in a school uniform. Perhaps this was a mistake. "I don't like anchovies," I lied. "I'm allergic."

"You always loved them before!" Beast Boy insisted. "Don't you remember anything? About how you came to Titans Tower and joined the Titans, but couldn't fully control your power? Then Slade came and took you under his wing, but you betrayed him to save us."

I looked at my glass and noticed I had accidentally moved the ice cubes with what remained of my power. I pushed them back before Beast Boy could notice. I sighed. "Why would you want to go out with someone like that? She sounds dangerous."

"Because I knew who she really was!" Beast Boy pleaded. "She was good all along and just made a few mistakes. I know she doesn't want to remember, but we had a lot of good times together too!"

I got up and pushed my chair back. "I gotta go. I've got a lot of tests to study for and papers to write." This wasn't entirely false. I was perpetually behind on my homework due to the gap in my academic history.

Beast Boy got up too and held his hands up. "No… please stay! I'll order a different pizza, one you like!"

"I really need to get back. This paper needs to be written and I still have more classes today."

"We have a supercomputer at Titans Tower," Beast Boy persisted. "You can use that and write your paper in half the time!"

I sighed. As much as I hated to admit it, my computer had been having problems for some time and I had no idea how I was going to get it done if I ran into more issues. I was highly suspicious the issue stemmed from the software Slade had put on it. "Alright, let's go and get this done quick then. I've gotta be back by dark"

…

My best play was to pretend like I didn't remember anything. Otherwise, if I acted like I remembered, Beast Boy might never understand we're living separate lives now. He took me up in the elevator to the living area, and once I got off the elevator I didn't have to pretend to be impressed. The entire space had been revamped with even more state-of-the-art technology. The walls were decked out in security monitors and the couch had seen a major upgrade. The tv was even larger with all sorts of gaming systems and entire shelf stacked to the ceiling in games. The kitchen was still a mess, but then again, some things never change.

"Wow, this is so cool!" I couldn't help but be in awe. "Must be nice living in a place like this!"

"You used to live here too!" Beast Boy insisted.

"I think I would remember living in a place like this…" Beast Boy couldn't conceal his disappointment very well. I could tell he felt disconnected knowing I didn't remember the same things as him. Seeing that face, I couldn't help it, I had to indulge him just a bit more to make him feel better. "This place is massive! What other rooms are there?"

Beast Boy was revitalized by my curiosity. Suddenly excited, he grabbed me by the hand and led me down the hallway. "Come on, I'll show you your room!"

We came to the end of the hall and turned into a room. The sun was starting to set, so the dark interior made the room feel like a black hole. Beast Boy flicked on the light to reveal the familiar desert paintings along the wall and the stars on the ceiling. "See? Right in the elements and sleeping under the stars just the way you like it!"

Standing in the room again made me uncomfortable. I remembered sitting on the couch and helping Slade hack into the security system, hoping no one would come by. I looked down, unable to face the memories of this room. "I hate camping. Way too many bugs. Listen… Beast Boy… I gotta go. The sun is starting to set."

"Alright," Beast Boy consented. "But can I show you one more thing on the way out?"

We were outside now, standing on the shores of the island the Tower sat on. The breeze coming off the bay was cool and refreshing, especially after a long day wearing a stuffy school uniform. I looked out at the water. It was really beautiful with the setting sun casting a fiery shadow over the ripples of the water. Beast Boy came up beside me and tossed a rock out onto the bay. I was surprised to see the rock skipped expertly. Apparently, he had learned something from our time skipping rocks together after all.

"I really do hope you find your friend," I said as I watched his rock skip across the bay. "I'm sure she's out there somewhere."

"I've already found her!" I shot him an uncomfortable look, completely unsure what to say. He held out a pebble in his hand. "Move this rock!"

"I can't." It was true. Lying about my memory or not, I no longer had the ability to launch that rock into the air more than a few inches.

Beast Boy looked frustrated now. "Come on, you gotta remember something!" He looked around desperately for something, ANYTHING, to make me remember, but it was all in vain. He tucked his head in between his knees and let out a depressed sigh.

Suddenly, he bolted upright as if he'd come up with the greatest thing since sliced bread. "I've got it! You can move the earth!" And with that he threw a giant ball of mud at my face before I even had time to react. Even if I had my powers at full strength, I'm not sure I could have blocked his unexpected assault.

"Why would you do that?!" I demanded. I was furious. These were my only set of my school uniform I had washed, and now I was going to be forced to do laundry just so I had clean clothes to wear tomorrow, all the while being buried in a mountain of assignments.

"I'm sorry! I thought you'd block it." Officially fed up and no longer feeling obligated to entertain him any longer, I began to walk off. "Please come back! Terra, don't leave again!"

Those words brought hot tears to my eyes. I didn't want to leave. Even though I was mad, I wanted to stay here and spend time with him like we used to. Skip rocks, go on long walks at the park, go to the carnival… I couldn't though. He was the hero, and I wasn't anymore. I had no choice but to run off without turning back for fear of him seeing the tears streaking down my cheeks.

…

"I'm sorry Terra, can't we please talk?"

"No."

"Just for a sec. I just need to explain…

"I told you no!" I turned back to him impatiently. "Do you plan on following me all day?"

Beast Boy looked as if he were contemplating. "…no. Only until you let me talk to you."

I gave him an annoyed look. "Well you can't follow me around school anymore!"

"Try me!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Beast Boy, this is the girl's locker room!" Beast Boy gave a startled look as he realized that he had followed me across the school and to the gym locker rooms. I had gym class next, and as it was I barely had time to change.

"Fine! Well…" he trailed off as he realized his predicament. "…I'll just have to wait for you until you're done then."

I threw my arms up, unsure what to tell him anymore. "Fine. If you want to wait out here for the next hour and a half be my guest." I slammed the door shut in his face as he tried to say something to me. As soon as the door shut, I slunk down onto the floor with my back leaning against it. For the first time, I felt some doubt. Was I really doing the right thing? Was it fair to shut him out when all he'd ever done was cared about me? I sat there for a few minutes before I got up and decided to let things be until after class. I'd be late, but I was always late when we did softball. I was absolutely terrible at throwing a ball.

…

I can't say I was surprised when I saw he was still there after I'd gotten out of class and showered. It was just like him to wait for me and keep coming back no matter what I said. "You look like a mess. I can't believe you actually waited out here the whole time!"

"I almost dozed off a few times," Beast Boy acknowledged. "Some teachers came by thinking I was truant, but then they realized I didn't have a school uniform on so I must not go here. Considering all of us are high school age and never go to school, I'm surprised we've never been brought in for truancy before."

Part of me wanted to laugh, but thankfully I was too upset to. I'm not sure that I was upset at Beast Boy though. Part of me was upset with myself. Here he was, going through all this effort to try to get me to remember, and I didn't even have the decency to tell him the truth? Didn't I owe him at least that much? But then, the other side of my head argued back that he wouldn't understand, and if I told him I'd remembered everything, he'd never let it go. I was so torn back and forth that I felt like my head was ready to explode. It was just us now, I had gotten out of the shower early so no one was in the halls yet. Now was my moment, especially knowing these words to him may very well be our last…


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

I've heard that we should feel lucky to have something so near and dear to us that it's hard to say goodbye. It's a cruel irony that saying farewell to someone we care very little about is easy, but doing so to one we love feels impossible. In that moment, I was faced with a horrible decision. Say farewell and continue to live a lie, pretending that I remembered nothing about my past, or tell the truth and never be able to truly escape from it and move on.

It was like a dream. The two of us were there alone, standing in the hallway without even the slightest sign of anyone nearby. It had been cloudy that day, causing the near noon light to come through the windows like a shaded grey veil. Beast Boy watched me with slightly downcast eyes, sensing the heaviness of the situation. "Terra, you're a Teen Titan. You should come back to the Tower with me."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" I looked down, unable to meet his gaze.

"Because that's who you are! You're a Teen Titan, always have been and always will be!"

"You don't know anything about me…" I shook my head. "I'm just a normal girl trying to go through high school with no clue what she wants to be yet."

This time it was Beast Boy's turn to shake his head at me. "That's not true at all. Don't you remember? You've always dreamed of being an Archaeologist!"

I gasped. How did he know that about me? After a moment it came to me. There had been an evening down by the bay, just a few days before Slade's soldiers infiltrated the tower.

_ "I thought I might find you down here." Beast Boy had run up to me as he came out of the Tower. "We're almost all out of food, but I saved you a little tofu!"_

_ I giggled. "What is it with you and tofu? You know, if you're trying to seduce me, you should try for something a little more romantic!"_

_ Beast Boy turned bright red. I laughed as he turned himself into a turtle to hide his embarrassment. As he transformed back, I gazed out at the water again. "Hey, do you ever think about what you would do if you weren't a hero? Like what your job would be?"_

_ Beast Boy gave me a curious look. "Why would I want to stop being a hero though? Heroes get all the ladies!" He winked at me as he said that, causing me to send a rock shooting past his ear as a warning shot._

_ "Ok, ok, I get it!" he said raising his hands in self defence. He joined me in looking out at the water as his expression became more serious. "Honestly, I had thought about being a Vet. After transforming into all of these different animals, I bet I know enough about some of them to really help them, you know?"_

_ I chuckled a bit into my hand. "A vet? You're so predictable." This time it was Beast Boy's turn to give me an angry look. I gave him back a scary face, and we both kept exchanging faces until we were both on top of each other laughing hysterically. It took a moment, but eventually we realized what was going on and pulled away embarrassed._

_ "So, what about you Terra?" Beast Boy asked eagerly. "What would you be?"_

_ I gave it some thought while I watched the birds fly over the ripples of the bay. "Truth is, I've always wanted to be an Archaeologist. I spend so much time out in the world traveling around, and it would be really cool to see what kind of things are out there. What we used to be, what we used to do. Maybe there's even a few people who used to be like me and were able to move rocks!"_

_ I grabbed a rock and turned it over in my hand before tossing it out into the bay. "I don't think a normal life like that will ever be an option for me though. So long as I have these powers, someone will always be after me."_

_ "Like who?"_

_ I grinned. "Probably some mad scientist who wants to kidnap me for cheap labor and force me to sell their gross tofu concoctions disguised as fake meat! We'll call it Newfu!" We both laughed hysterically for some time as the sun set._

I'd nearly forgotten about that time. It seemed that something so carefree and innocent was so far away now after everything that had happened.

"Am I wrong about that?" Beast Boy pressed on.

"Garf…" His eyes widened at the mention of his name. I had given myself away now and I knew it. I didn't want to lie anymore. If this was to be the last time we were together, I wanted to at least speak honestly.

"So you do remember!" Beast Boy gave me a pleading look. "You have to go back to Titan's Tower Terra! It's where you belong!"

I shook my head. "Not anymore. Beast Boy, the girl you remember is just an illusion. A figment of your imagination. I could never be that person anymore."

"Why not?"

I bit my tongue for a second. I debated whether I should say anymore, but eventually the words flooded out of my mouth like vomit. "Because I don't have my powers anymore."

Beast Boy looked at me in shock. There was no doubt in my mind he believed me and knew my words were sincere. I waited, but he didn't say anything. No quick smart-ass response. No insistent plea, just silence.

"I can't be the hero you remember me as. I'm just an ordinary girl with an Algebra test and I haven't studied. The girl you loved doesn't exist anymore."

Beast Boy looked more irked than I had ever seen him before. Even more so than when I had revealed my betrayal in the hall of mirrors. "So you really think I only cared about you because you were a hero? You think, that without your powers, you don't mean anything to me anymore?!" He raised his voice, which was very unusual for him. "Terra, you mean so much more to me than that! I didn't fall in love with you because of your heroic deeds or your impressive power. I fell in love with you because I felt like you were one of the few people on this planet who really understood me. You laughed at my jokes not because you were trying to pity me, but because you really thought I was funny. You always had such a free-flowing spirit and I loved adventuring with you. You took me to some amazing places that I'll never forget about."

Beast Boy paused and let out a sigh. He seemed to be fighting back tears himself. "I love you Terra. Not for your powers or your abilities. But for who you are as a person. And I can't imagine life without you.

I was without words. Not once in my life had someone taken so much time to get to know me. The real me. Even without my powers, as just an ordinary, teenage girl, Beast Boy still just loved me for who I am. What was I supposed to say?

Beast Boy's communicator went off. "Beast Boy, we've got trouble we need you now!" called Robin's voice.

Beast Boy hesitated a moment before grabbing the communicator to answer. "I'm on my way." He looked at me as he spoke into it.

"Come with me!" he pleaded.

I shook my head. "No. You go. You're the Teen Titan. That's who you are. It's just… not who I am. I'm not a hero."

"Take my communicator then! So I can be there if you ever need me!"

I could only shake my head again as the bell rang and the doors to the classrooms opened. Students began to walk out and fill the hallway as passing period had begun. "Time's up. I need to get to class." I began to retreat back into the crowd, blending in with all of the students as Beast Boy passed further and further into the background.

Before I could get too far though, Beast Boy ran up and held out a slip of paper. I gave him a confused look. "If you won't take my communicator, at least take this. As something to remember me by." I inspected the piece of paper and saw it was actually a notebook sized movie poster for one of our favorite movies to watch together Godzilla. I gave him a smile as I retreated into the crowd disappearing from view. As I did, I heard Beast Boy call, "Beast Boy to Robin, I'm on my way. Over."

…

I can't say the Algebra test went all that well for me, but at least I learned a valuable lesson about letting boys distract me from studying. Time flew by over the next several weeks. Or was it months? It can be very hard to tell sometimes. Beast Boy seemed to respect my wishes. He never came by again, and I was back to my normal life exactly as I had intended.

It would be unfair to say nothing changed though. I had gone to my guidance councillor the very next day and declared to her I wanted to pursue a career in Archaeology and hoped to get on track for that. It would take some hard work, but together we hashed out a plan to get me caught up within the next year so I could start taking some classes. I had made varsity on the volleyball team and I had some of the most supportive friends a girl could ask for. It certainly seemed like I was figuring out this normal high school life thing after all!

Still, there were a few occasions where I wondered if something might be missing. I had kept the movie poster, and somehow had always found it a little bit odd that Beast Boy just happened to have this on in him and wanted me to have it to remember him by. I gave the poster another look one day, and realized that this was not for the Godzilla movie we had always watched as I had initially thought, but was actually a promotional ad for a movie that had just come out a few weeks ago. I was even more confused now. Why would he have given this to me? I held it up in the light to see if I was missing something, and saw the shadow of green ink. Curious, I flipped it over, and printed on the back was a string of 10 numbers.

…

Many weeks have passed now as I write this recount of my story. I am proud to say I'm near the top of my class now, and well on my way toward fulfilling my dream of becoming an Archaeologist. I don't think any of it would have been possible without what happened to me. Sometimes, it takes tragedy, love, and loss to shape us into the people we are really meant to be. And that definitely applies to me. I try not to live in the past anymore and focus more on my future. Mostly.

_I looked around anxiously to make sure I was alone. My roommates I had found seemed to have gone to bed for the evening and all of the lights were out. I pulled out my flashlight and dialled the numbers I saw on the flier into my phone. The phone rang several times, but eventually a familiar voice answered. "Hello?"_

"_So… when are you going to bring me some more Tofu?"_


End file.
